30 Minute Ziti with Sopressata & Fontina might be the tastiest thing you make in the least amount of time all week!
Dom came home with a couple of gorgeous baguettes for our Valentine’s Day dinner. But because we were so excited to dig into the rib eyes, sautéed mushrooms and baked potatoes that he’d prepared, we forgot all about the bread! So when I woke on Wednesday to discover our pointed pane untouched, I thought to myself, “What to do, what to do? I know, crostini.”
I skunked around the fridge to discover that I had everything I needed to make a sopressata and fontina topped crostini – but my wheels didn’t stop turning there – and, although this combination of toppings would be a fine fine offering on a golden crisp of bread, pasta topped with this savory combination was where my mind landed.
I immediately had a craving for pasta made with a quick homemade tomato sauce turned extra creamy from a healthy addition of melty fontina, topped with chopped walnuts, fresh parsley and diced sopressata.
Sopressata, an authentic salame made in the tradition of the Italian countryside, delivers big time in the flavor department. I chose to go with a sopressata on the hotter side, but you could certainly use mild, if that’s more your fancy.
The part of this meal that takes the longest is the sauce, and that’s not even that long. To make the sauce:
- Simply throw some chopped garlic and shallots into heated olive oil.
- Cook until the garlic just begins to brown and the shallots begin to soften.
- Pour chopped tomatoes into the pan, season with salt and pepper, and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and let the sauce cook while gently bubbling for 15 – 20 minutes until you notice that it has reduced and thickened.
- Lastly, dice the fontina and stir into the sauce.
Once your sauce is ready, toss in your pasta, add your diced sopressata, chopped walnuts, fresh parsley and grated Parmesan.
The kick from the salame, freshness of the parsley, and crunch from the walnuts make for a dish that satisfies on many levels.
Although our baguette didn’t get the starring role – it was the inspiration!
Bravo, Baguette!
Buon Appetito!
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30 Minute Ziti with Sopressata & Fontina
- Category: Dinner
Description
30 Minute Ziti with Sopressata & Fontina might be the tastiest thing you make in the least amount of time all week!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 smallish shallots, sliced
- 28 oz. canned chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 lb. fontina, diced
- 1 lb. ziti
- 6 oz. hot sopressata, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add chopped garlic and shallots.
- Cook until the garlic just begins to brown and the shallots begin to soften.
- Pour in chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and let the sauce cook while gently bubbling for 15 – 20 minutes until you notice that it has reduced and thickened.
- Lastly, add the fontina and stir into the sauce.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta according to box directions until al dente.
- Using a slotted ladle, deliver the pasta from the boiling water to the sauce; stir until fully combined.
- Top with sopressata, walnuts, and parsley.
- Serve warm with grated Parmesan.
Pasta from around the web…
Pasta al Forno with Smoked Mozzarella from Cooking with Mamma C
One Pot Creamy Tomato Chicken Spinach Pasta Recipe from CookingLSL
Mediterranean Orzo Salad from Green Valley Kitchen
CIAO!!!!!
We are all about this kind of pasta dish mid-week – so easy, flavorful, filling, and did I mention easy? 😉 Worked out pretty good for me that you guys forgot about that baguette…
Hahahahah! All’s well that ends well! Thanks, friend!
A 30 minute meal that looks like this is definitely going on my menu! Weeknight meals can be so hard to pull together, but this looks totally doable! And it would be a winner with the entire family!
It is absolutely doable! And the flavors can’t be beat! Thanks, Kathy!!
Oh my goodness, all of that melted fontina sounds out of this world! Homemade tomato sauce like this is always so much better than anything at the store. Yum!
Nothing like homemade!! Thank you so much, Amanda!! Have a great weekend, friend!
looks like a delicious meal! love the sauce!
Thanks, Manali!
Goodness! I’d really love to skunk around in your fridge, Annie! Do you deliver? 🙂
Hahaha! You betcha! Whereto, my dear?! 🙂
I am so overly committed these days, I am constantly looking for a quick bite. Thanks for this ziti recipe! It’s sure to make my weekly rotation soon.
This should fit the bill! Thanks, my friend!
Haha left over baguettes are never a problem in our house. I am having one of those craving days where I want something but can;t decide what. THIS! This is what I want right now it looks like a bowl of pure delicious comfort!!
Ahhhh! Yes! Go for it! Thanks, friend! 🙂