Meatless Monday with Baked Radicchio and Mozzarella Pasta Recipe

Happy Meatless Monday and welcome (back) to the blog!  As a green call centre, we support the Meatless Monday movement in support of reducing meat consumption to improve personal and planetary health.

Our recipe today for Baked Radicchio and Mozzarella Pasta would work perfectly when the occasion calls for lasagna or another noodle casserole dish. Don’t be concerned if the bitterness of radicchio is not to your liking – the cream sauce smoothes it out. Plus 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. Right then – let’s get cooking.

Ingredients
• 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

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the salted water for about half the time recommended on the packaging and drain. (Do not rinse.) Set aside.
4. 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.
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). This recipe makes 6-8 servings and goes well with a side vinaigrette salad.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday site to learn more. Join the movement and promote going Meatless on Mondays to co-workers and make your green call centre, office, factory, shop or salon even greener.

Enjoy and thanks to chowhound.com for this great recipe!