Ingredients
2 8 oz boxes of Banza rotini (chickpea pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tsp fennel seeds (it's not the end of the world if you don't have fennel seeds)
1 28 oz can whole peel tomatoes
½ cup grated parm (I like blender parm here!)
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup whole milk ricotta
¾ Lots o mozzarella cheeeeese! But really like of a 16oz bag of mozzarella shredz
Salt n’ pep for seasoning PLUS to salt the pasta water
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350F.
Step 2
Set a large pot of heavily salted over high heat and bring to a boil.
Salt n’ pep for seasoning PLUS to salt the pasta water
Step 3
Heat olive oil in a large (preferably oven proof) skillet over medium heat. Once hot and shimmery, add in the onions and mixie mix to coat in oil.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
Step 4
Add in the fennel and grated garlic (you can just grate right over the top of the skillet like I did). Mixie mix to combine. Cook for another 2-4 minutes or until the onion has softened.
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tsp fennel seeds (it's not the end of the world if you don't have fennel seeds)
Step 5
Pour in the liquid from the can of tomatoes, then CAREFULLY just use your hand to mash up the tomatoes inside the can, then pour in. You can also just pour it all in and use a potato masher if you prefer.
1 28 oz can whole peel tomatoes
Step 6
Bring to a simmer and let that bubble away for about 15 minutes (should be about as long as it takes for your water to boil and noodles to cook) Season with salt and pepper to taste after it has reduced down.
Salt n’ pep for seasoning PLUS to salt the pasta water
Step 7
While that’s simmering, once your water is boiling add in the pasta and cook it UNDER al dente. The box says 7-9 minutes so I did 6. It continues to cook in the oven and you don’t want it mushy!
Step 8
Once the pasta is cooked, save 1 cup of pasta water JUST IN CASE and strain the rest.
Step 9
I like to then pour the pasta back into the large pot, add the sauce, 1/2 of the parsley, and 1/2 of the parm. If the sauce reduced too much and it’s looking dry just add in 1/4 cup of that reserved pastas water at a time until you’re happy with it. You don’t want soupy, I’m just giving you a fallback if you walked away and the sauce reduced to nothin ya feel? Mixie mix that all up to combine.
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup grated parm (I like blender parm here!)
Step 10
Pour 1/2 of the pasta mix into that oven proof skillet we were just using (no need to clean it), top with several dollops of ricotta (you may use a little more or a little less ricotta depending on your preferences), and cover with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Pour the 2nd 1/2 of the pasta mix, coat with another layer of mozzarella.
½ cup whole milk ricotta
¾ Lots o mozzarella cheeeeese! But really like of a 16oz bag of mozzarella shredz
Step 11
Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, then broil for 1-4 minutes at the end to get some nice browning and bubbling on the cheese. DON'T WALK AWAY WHILE IT'S BROILING!
Step 12
Sprinkle the remaining parm on top, then parsley. Allow to cool slightly before serving up.
½ cup grated parm (I like blender parm here!)
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Step 13
ENJOY!
