This takes ten minutes to make and 45 minutes to bake: what could be easier?
Take one 8×8 pan. You’ll need:
- a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, I prefer a high-end tomato-basil blend
- eight no-boil noodles (Barilla or Lucio Garofalo)
- 16 oz Ricotta
- about 1/3 lb. Mozzarella (specialty, full fat not new and watery)
- salt, pepper, basil and/or oregano or marjoram, to taste
- one egg, lightly beaten
- Parmigiano Reggiano, for filling and topping
Have the pan, noodles, and sauce ready. Make the filling by mixing the ricotta, mozzarella (grated), herbs and spices, egg, and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Start with sauce, enough to just coat the bottom of the baking pan. Remember that your filling can be wetter than normal because the noodles need to drink up some moisture to cook.
Top with two sheets of pasta, then 1/3 of the cheese, then sauce. Repeat until eight noodles are used (I switch directions each time just because I think it will help the structure). Top with sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees, until bubbly.
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