Chinese Pasta / Pasta Cinese
A baked Italian pasta dish featuring homemade tomato meat sauce, meatballs, and pasta.
Ingredients
tomato sauce
1 12-oz. can
water
3 c.
basil
1 tsp.
oregano
1 tsp.
bay leaf
1 large
garlic (minced)
1 clove
onion (chopped)
1 medium-sized
salt
1 tsp.
black pepper
dash
Italian sausage (optional)
2 or 3 links
lean ground beef
1/2 lb.
cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs
1/2 c.
egg
1
oregano
pinch
basil
pinch
salt
to taste
black pepper
to taste
garlic (minced)
1 clove
onion (chopped)
1 small
Romano or Parmesan cheese (grated)
2 tbsp.
vegetable oil (for frying)
Mostaccioli or Rigatoni pasta (uncooked)
8 oz.
sauce
1 qt.
small meatballs
25 to 30
hard-boiled eggs (sliced)
1 or 2
mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/2 c.
Romano or Parmesan cheese (grated)
dash
Instructions
1
Make the sauce
Place all sauce ingredients in a Dutch oven, cover, and simmer on low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If the sauce gets too thick and begins to stick, add a little water. Remove the lid about 15 minutes before serving to let the sauce thicken.
2
Make the meatballs
Combine all meatball ingredients except the oil in a large bowl and mix well. Roll about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture between your palms into meatballs about 3/4 inch in diameter. Brown the meatballs in about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet, then drain off the oil.
3
Cook the pasta
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, then drain.
4
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5
Assemble
In an 8x8-inch square baking dish or cake pan, layer the ingredients in the following order: a small amount of sauce on the bottom, then the pasta, meatballs, and sliced eggs, another layer of sauce, and finally a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
6
Bake
Sprinkle with Romano or Parmesan cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.
7
Serve
Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve. Spoon extra sauce over each portion.
