Nickey's Pasta And Lamb Casserole

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground lamb
• 1 maui onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 3 cups marinara sauce
• 1 lb penne pasta (or ziti)
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh ricotta (3 cups)
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese (freshly grated)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 bring a large pot of salted water to boil. cook pasta until barely al dente (see pasta packaging for timing). then drain and return to the pot.
• 3 meanwhile, heat the olive oil until shimmering in a large saucepan. add the lamb, onion, oregano, cinnamon, cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper. stirring frequently, cook until lamb is no longer pink and liquid is gone.
• 4 add the marinara sauce and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occassionally for about 5 minutes.
• 5 in blender, combine 2 cups of ricotta with the egg yolks, nutmeg and 1/2 cup of parmigiano-reggiano until smooth. season with salt and pepper. pulse as you add the remaining ricotta.
• 6 add the lamb mixture to the pasta; stir to thoroughly combine ingredients. transfer to a 9x13 casserole.
• 7 cover the pasta with the ricotta mixture, then top with the remaining parmigiano-reggiano.
• 8 bake for 20 minutes until heated through; then turn on the broiler until the top is golden brown. let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
• 9 french bread: this is how my sister taught me to prepare a delicious crusty french bread -- place whole (unsliced) french bread loaf in oven at 325 degrees f for 5-10 minutes; remove and slice. serve with butter or garlic butter on the side).