Baked Radicchio and Mozzarella Pasta Recipe
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The next time you think of bringing lasagne or another noodle casserole to a potluck, try this recipe instead. It softens radicchio’s bitterness by baking it in a cream sauce; plus the gooey, browned bits of mozzarella are hard to resist. This dish is hearty enough to be a whole meal, but it also makes a great accompaniment to a roast or a large green salad with a slightly acidic vinaigrette (to balance the robustness of the pasta).
What to buy: Look for Treviso radicchio, radicchio rosso di Treviso, at gourmet grocery stores or the farmers’ market. This radicchio has a subtler bitter flavor than the more common Chioggia radicchio, radicchio rosso di Chioggia, though it is not as widely grown in the United States.
Game plan: If you want to increase the bitter flavor of the dish, use more of the white ribs and core of the radicchio. If you want a sweeter flavor, use mostly the purple parts.
If you can’t find tasty tomatoes to make this dish, simply substitute a 28-ounce can of high-quality diced tomatoes.
The sauce and the pasta can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in separate containers. To assemble, heat the oven, pick up the recipe at step 4, and bake the mixture until it is heated through and golden brown (which may take a little longer than 20 minutes).
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium white onion, small dice (about 1 cup)
- 7 medium Roma tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and coarsely chopped
- 3 heads Treviso radicchio (about 4 cups), ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound penne rigate or ziti pasta
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, small dice (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the upper third. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, add garlic and onion, season well with salt, and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add radicchio and cream and cook until radicchio is wilted, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in the salted water for about half the time recommended on the packaging and drain. (Do not rinse.) Set aside.
- Once the sauce has finished simmering, combine it with the half-cooked pasta and mix until the pasta is evenly coated. Place the pasta mixture in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmigiano over top. Place in the oven and bake until the mixture is bubbling, the pasta is al dente, and the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Beverage pairing: Pighin Pinot Grigio Collio, Italy. The wine for this dish needs to match the bitterness of the radicchio but also cut through the richness of the mozzarella. Pinot Grigio can do that, especially this example from Italy’s Friuli region, which is a fine and precise white wine.
Delicious - my only concern is that's its pretty heavy on the saturated fat. I tried substituting the cream with 1/2 fat creme fraiche and thought it was just as good.
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OH MY GOD!!! This recipe is heaven! Bitterness of the radicchio is so perfectly contrasted with softness of cheese. Great one! I'm adding this to my recipe book :)
this is so delicious- it has become a staple dinner at our house- even my 7 and 10 year old love it - it is easy, vegetarian and just so flavorful. I always use a combo of shredded mozzarella and fresh mozzarella and parmesan on the entire top of the dish. Canned tomatoes work just as well as fresh. Many friends have asked for the recipe.
i have to say that i tried this recipe and i thoguth it was terribly bitter, ick.
Just yesterday I received this recipe of the day by email and it sounded so good that I made it for a lunch for my visiting parents today. We all loved it! Big plus to add the salad with vinaigrette as a side if foregoing the wine. We were all working hard moving me into my new place, so it was a very satisfying and welcomed civilized meal mid-day.
found some radicchio at another market, and it was lovely! thanks!
hirundine, i bet that was gooooood
YUM! I love radicchio, and got all geared up to make this tonight, and then just went to the market, and they're out of radicchio of all sorts. So, I'm going to sub in chard, and see how that works. This looks like exactly the kind of comfort food I'm in the mood for today.
Fantastic...shared with great neighbors before a raucous game of dominos. Kids loved it too! Not overly heavy buy very comfy type meal.
Ohhhh .......... yum! Though I used creme fraiche instead of the heavy cream.
Thanks for a super recipe !!
In Italy, radicchio and smoked mozzarella baked in the oven is served for lunch with some crusty bread. I'm going to try this recipe with smoked mozzarella to add some extra flavor. If anyone does it before I do, let me know what you think.
Very good. Easy to make. Its good to have a couple good radicchio recipes in your repetoire if you enjoy this delicious bitter veggie.
Boy, I just joined the site, this is the first recipe I tried making and it absolutely smashed it. My moms gave me top props for the use of radicchio and we were all left thoroughly pleased and no need for an extra snack at lunch time. Aida Mollenkamp, your recipe, instructions and wine pairing own. Thanks very much.
This sounds incredible
Great idea!
I'm goung to make this tomorrow night
Made this dish last week for a Holiday Party and it was great! Replaced some of the raddichio for some beet greens I had laying around. I made another batch and the leftovers were delicious too. Definitely a crowd pleaser with gooey cheese and hearty enough for meat lovers while being excellent vegetarian dish!
I tried this recipe last night and it was delicious! A great blend of flavors and textures, subtle and comforting. The Treviso radicchio was new to me and it really did make a difference. I made a few little tweaks that I think were good to try: I added 1/2 pound of crumbled, browned Italian sausage to the sauce, as well as a little nutmeg, pepper and salt. Also, just before I mixed the sauce with the pasta I mixed a little of the diced mozzarella into the sauce to thicken it.