Italian Flag Baked Pasta | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

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1. Preheat your oven to 400°F [200°C].
2. Get a large pot of water going on the stove top for your pasta. If it boils before you’re ready to cook the pasta, just turn it down (better for it to wait for you than vice versa).
3. In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Break up the turkey into small pieces, add it to the pot, and season aggressively with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the meat is cooked through and very nicely browned and any liquid it released has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes (along with their juice), basil stems, and another large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Give the whole mixture a good stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook the sauce until it is slightly reduced and smells wonderful, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the basil stems. Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.
4. At this point, your pasta water should be boiling. Salt it generously and add the pasta. Cook it until just al dente (remember it will bake for a while), about 1 minute less than the package instructs. Drain the pasta, add it to the pot with the tomato sauce, and stir well to combine.
5. While the pasta is cooking, put the spinach, crème fraîche, nutmeg, Parmesan, half of the mozzarella, and the chopped basil leaves into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and stir well to combine.
6. Spoon one-third of the sauced pasta into a 9-by-13-in [23-by-33-cm] baking dish and spread into an even layer. Dot the pasta with half of the spinach mixture and use a spoon or even just your clean hands to spread the spinach mixture in an even layer. Continue with half of the remaining pasta, all of the remaining spinach mixture, and then the final bit of pasta. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top.
7. Bake the pasta, uncovered, until it is gorgeously browned and the edges are bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. This resting time lets everything settle into place.

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F [200°C].
2. Get a large pot of water going on the stove top for your pasta. If it boils before you’re ready to cook the pasta, just turn it down (better for it to wait for you than vice versa).
3. In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Break up the turkey into small pieces, add it to the pot, and season aggressively with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the meat is cooked through and very nicely browned and any liquid it released has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes (along with their juice), basil stems, and another large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Give the whole mixture a good stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook the sauce until it is slightly reduced and smells wonderful, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the basil stems. Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.
4. At this point, your pasta water should be boiling. Salt it generously and add the pasta. Cook it until just al dente (remember it will bake for a while), about 1 minute less than the package instructs. Drain the pasta, add it to the pot with the tomato sauce, and stir well to combine.
5. While the pasta is cooking, put the spinach, crème fraîche, nutmeg, Parmesan, half of the mozzarella, and the chopped basil leaves into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and stir well to combine.
6. Spoon one-third of the sauced pasta into a 9-by-13-in [23-by-33-cm] baking dish and spread into an even layer. Dot the pasta with half of the spinach mixture and use a spoon or even just your clean hands to spread the spinach mixture in an even layer. Continue with half of the remaining pasta, all of the remaining spinach mixture, and then the final bit of pasta. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top.
7. Bake the pasta, uncovered, until it is gorgeously browned and the edges are bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. This resting time lets everything settle into place.