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!
Print
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!!!!!
OMG you have my mouth watering right now!! I’ve been trying to eat less carbs (diets are the worst!) and this is making me rethink all of my dieting values because I would love to dive head first into this bowl of heaven. All of your flavors sound absolutely PERFECT together!
Oh no! They say moderation is the key! 😉 Thanks for stopping by with a kind word! 🙂
What a different and I’m sure very flavorful pasta dish.
Thanks, Karen!
We have forgotten about yummy baguettes more times than I’d like to admit! Hahahahaha! It’s so sad too when you’re cleaning up after dinner and remember it. Ugh! I’m glad you forgot about it this time so you could make this ziti and share it with us. 😉
Hahahaha! Glad it’s not just us! It served its new purpose well, though! Thanks, dear!
Your pasta dishes are always so intriguing, Annie. And this one is no exception. I can have it for all my meals. So comfy and delish.
Thank you, Anu! 🙂
I want to wake up in the morning at your house any day of the week.
Welcome!!! Coffee’s on, my friend!
If I had a Ribeye in front of me I would’ve forgotten about the baguette to 🙂 . This dish looks so warm and comforting, I love the little kick of the spicy sopressata and those crunchy walnuts seal the deal. Delicious! Take care.
Thank you, Stacey! These are perfect days for comfort food! 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious, Annie – my kind of perfect comfort food. I love fontina – it melts so well and has a lovely flavor. Thanks so much for including one of my recipes as well. Hope you’re having a great week!
That’s the thing I love about fontina…its meltability! I was so happy to include your recipe – delicious!! Thanks, friend!
This looks wonderful. I love learning great recipes using fontina cheese. I have really enjoyed reading your blog as I love Italian food, but I don’t cook authentic recipes as it feels like I am not overly familiar with the various cheeses and sausages beyond the staples.
Thank you, Cindy! Your feelings about cooking Italian are precisely mine regarding baking! 🙂
Love your pasta recipes! This looks so good! Easy to make, too! Pinning!
Thank you, Mira! And thanks for the pin!!
Melted fontina in the sauce!? Yes please. I never do that but I’ll bet it makes it over the top creamy and delicious! My family would love this.
I love fontina and I need it in every nook and cranny of my dish! 🙂 Thanks, Karen!
Now I’m craving pasta. And bread! This looks great, Annie. And I’m going to go carb-load!
I crave it too much! Thanks, friend!
Valentines Day meal certainly sound yummy but your pasta dish — WOW! Bread really makes an Italian meal extra special because you want to make sure all of that spectacular sauce is mopped up with the bread. Have a great day, my friend.
Oh yes! Let the mopping begin! Thank you, Marisa!! 🙂
A slice of baguette, perfect for scooping that wonderful sauce! We like so much this kind of pasta dishes where you throw together some ingredients that reveal to work extremely well together to deliver the tastiest flavor!
Isn’t it the best when you realize you have everything you need for a dish that’s simple yet tasty?! This is indeed one of those recipes! Thank you, my friend! 🙂
I’m all about quick and easy meals, and this is a bit of dinner perfection right here! Looks so scrumptious and hearty – wish I had a bowl right now.
Quick and easy is what CCB is all about! Thank you, my friend!
I love a good, quick and mouthwatering pasta recipe and you always seem to know just what to serve up! I love how that baguette inspired you. What a delicious way to enjoy Valentine’s with your love. Delicious Annie!
Bread has a way of inspiring! 🙂 Thanks, my friend! So happy you like!
You’re speaking my love language, Annie! My in-laws used to make sopressata, but I haven’t had it in years. I just had breakfast and am already craving this beautiful pasta dish. And, thank you so much for sharing my pasta al forno!
Oh my, they made it?! That had to be phenomenal! So happy you like the dish, my friend! Thank you! I love your pasta al forno!! 🙂
An excess of fresh baguettes at home is a fabulous problem to have if you ask me! I’d probably just go hide in a closet somewhere and eat the entire thing myself… but I’m clearly not as creative as you! 🙂 Love that the Valentine’s Day baguette inspired this dish!! This pasta looks absolutely divine, Annie! I LOVE LOVE LOVE all the flavors and ingredients in here! And I obviously love that it’s a cinch to throw together! I could face plant into a vat of this right now! Drool! Cheers, dear! xoxo
Sounds very familiar…all that was left after dinner turned into the next morning’s toast! I love bread (too much!)! Simple pasta dishes own my heart! Thanks, friend! xoxo
Perfect choice Annie! And sounds easy enough to me. I bet the soppressata gives it an amazing flavor. My boys aren’t big fans of ricotta for some reason, so I like how you used the fontina.
Then I think your boys will love this! Fontina is a favorite of mine, too! Thanks, MaryAnn!
That’s so funny! Just last night when cooking dinner, I totally almost forgot to put the roasted veg on, but I remembered in time, lol 😀 I guess my mind was wandering, lol. This looks delicious, Annie, and the spicier the better if you ask me! The walnuts are a lovely touch and I would definitely use (especially considering I have a HUGE Costco sized bag). Would love to dive into this big bowl of comfort right now! Happy Monday! XOXO
Costco is the way to go!! See that – we’re not the only ones…well, I guess we are – you remembered the veg! Thanks, friend! Happy week!! xoxo
What a great way to use up that bread, Annie! This ziti looks so comforting! I love 30 minute meals like this, especially when fontina is involved. This sounds perfect for a Monday night dinner!
It ended up being used to sop up the delicious sauce at the end of the meal but that’s not a bad gig! 🙂 Thanks, friend!!