Torta di Pasta served with Broccoli Rape
So this is the second time I try this recipe from the Giada De Laurentiis cookbook ‘Everyday Italian,’ and it was completely different and just as delicious.
The first time I tried the Torta di Pasta, which is essentially a pasta omelette, I substituted pre-made sun dried tomato pesto for whole sun dried tomatoes, and asiago for the fontina cheese.
This time, I used macaroni pasta that had already been cooked and had plain tomato sauce on it. And for the cheese, I used a combination of ricotta salata, mozzarella, friulano and parmeggiano.
The bottom line is I think you could use just about any type of pasta and any combination of cheeses and you would get a delicious dinner that you can even make out of leftover pasta, as long as it’s not so saucy that it won’t stick together.
The only trick is to scale back the amount of salt, depending on how strong the cheeses are that you’re using.
To me, the hallmark of a great recipe that will turn into a regular staple in my kitchen is one that adapts to the ingredients you happen to have on hand, not one that requires ingredients you wouldn’t use for anything else.
And I think this recipe falls into that category, making it an easy one dish, weeknight meal.
