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Baked anelletti pasta cake on a glass plate.

Baked Anelletti Recipe (Anelletti Ca Carne Capuliata)

Layers of tiny pasta rings, slow-cooked meat sauce, peas, and melted cheese make Baked Anelletti everything you want in a Sicilian pasta bake

Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 24 cm – 9.5 inches round springform pan
Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

  • 800 g – 1.75 lbs minced beef
  • 280 g – 10 oz tomato double concentrate
  • 350 ml – 12 oz tomato purée
  • 1 ½ tbsp tomato estratto
  • 1 onion – finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • water
  • salt – to taste
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 large eggplant – cubed and deep fried
  • 200 g – 7 oz Provolone piquant – cubed small
  • 125 g – ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano and/or Pecorino Romano and/or Caciocavallo – finely grated
  • vegetable oil
  • breadcrumbs
  • 500 g – 1 lb anelletti

Instructions

  1. Finely dice the onion and place it in a pot with the extra virgin olive oil.
  2. Sauté over low heat until soft. Add the minced beef and stir with a wooden spoon to break up the lumps. Cook until the meat browns well.
  3. Dissolve the estratto in a small amount of hot water. Add the estratto, tomato double concentrate, and tomato purée. Stir, season with salt, and cover the sauce with water.
  4. Cover and cook over low heat for a couple of hours. Add more water if needed. The sauce should be thick. About 15 minutes before it is ready, add the frozen peas and continue cooking.
  5. Cut the eggplant into 3 × 3 cm – 1¼ × 1¼ in pieces. Place them in a bowl of salty water for 30 minutes to reduce bitterness.
  6. Drain the eggplant, pat it dry, and deep fry it in hot vegetable oil. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
  7. Cut the provolone piquant into small cubes and set aside.
  8. Line the base of a round springform pan with baking paper. Drizzle some vegetable oil over the base and sides, then brush evenly.
  9. Add breadcrumbs and coat the oiled base and sides thoroughly. Make sure there are no uncoated spots, or the pasta may stick.

  10. Cook the anelletti in boiling salted water following the steps in “How to Cook Pasta al Dente”, but only for half the cooking time listed on the package.

    Note: This pasta brand cooks in 6 minutes (from the suggested 17). The pasta continues cooking when mixed with hot ragù and again in the oven, so it will not be raw.

  11. Drain the anelletti and mix with the ragù, Parmigiano Reggiano, cubed provolone piquant, and fried eggplant until evenly combined.
  12. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and press it down firmly with a wooden spoon so it becomes compact.
  13. Sprinkle the top with more breadcrumbs.
  14. Bake immediately or refrigerate and bake the next day.*
  15. When the pasta bake is cooked, remove it from the oven and run a spatula or butter knife around the sides to loosen it.
  16. Place a large plate over the springform pan. Holding the plate and the pan together, flip the bake over carefully.
  17. Tap the outside of the pan gently to release the pasta. Open the springform pan and unmould the “pasta cake.”
  18. Cut into slices and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

*If refrigerating, place it in the fridge straight away so the temperature drops and the pasta stops cooking. When preparing the next-day version, use cold ragù to help control cooking time.

  • Bake immediately in a preheated oven at 220°C – 428°F (200°C – 392°F fan) for about 8 minutes, then turn on the grill and cook for another 8 minutes until the breadcrumbs turn crunchy.
  • If baking the next day, bring the pasta back to room temperature. Cover with foil and bake at 220°C – 428°F (200°C – 392°F fan) for 12–15 minutes. Remove the foil, turn on the grill, and cook for another 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs turn crunchy.
  • The cooking time differs because pasta baked immediately stays warm and keeps cooking, while pasta prepared the day before cools completely in the fridge (especially with cold ragù) and needs more reheating. If, after 25 minutes, it is still not hot enough, heat individual slices briefly in the microwave after cutting.