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A Mediterranean pasta bake in a round baking dish.

Mediterranean Pasta Bake

Anke
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • ⅔ 1 lb. box of pasta (10.5 oz.)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for frying
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp spice mix of choice, e.g. Italian seasoning
  • salt & pepper
  • A dash paprika
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ ball of fresh mozzarella (8 oz.)
  • ¼ cup dried tomatoes
  • ¼ cup fresh basil
  • 1⅓ cups grated cheese of choice
  • grated Parmesan to taste
  • olives to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Parboil the pasta in salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain and reserve about ½ cup of pasta water. Set both aside.
  • Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Oil the pan and fry both until transluscent and fragrant.
  • Add the tomato paste and briefly fry. Deglaze with the pasta water and canned tomatoes. Season the sauce with sugar and the other spices. Bring to a boil.
  • Tear the mozzarella into small pieces. Chop the dried tomatoes. Wash and chop the basil. Save some basil leaves for later.
  • Mix the sauce with the pasta and pour into a baking dish. Mix with the mozzarella, dried tomatoes and chopped basil.
  • Finally, sprinkle with the grated cheese, Parmesan and olives and bake the for 10-15 minutes.
  • Before serving, sprinkle some basil leaves on the pasta bake.