Baked tagliatelle nests: the recipe for the rich and stringy first course

Step 1

First clean the celery, carrot and onion and cut them into very small cubes.

step 2

Sauté the garlic with extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan, then add the chopped herbs and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon 2.

step 3

Now add the minced meat, let it brown well and add the white wine 3.

Step 4

Add the pulp and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper and dilute with a drop of water. Then cover with a lid and continue cooking for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally 4.

Step 5

A few minutes after cooking, add chopped basil 5 and let it season for a few more minutes.

Step 6

Once ready, pour a generous layer of meat sauce into the bottom of a baking dish 6.

Step 7

Soak the dried pasta nests in warm water for 20-30 seconds.

Step 8

Once the nests are ready, arrange them neatly in the baking dish 8.

Step 9

Place a generous spoonful of Ragù 9 in the centre of each nest.

Step 10

Fill with 3-4 cubes of Scamorza 10 and add a ladle of hot water.

Step 11

Cover with a sheet of aluminium foil 11 and cook in a convection oven at 180 °C for about 40 minutes.

Step 12

Once the time is up, remove the foil, add more diced scamorza and a generous pinch of grated Parmesan 12 and finish cooking under the oven grill for 5-10 minutes.

Step 13

Now take the pasta 13 out of the oven.

Step 14

Divide the baked tagliatelle nests between individual plates 14, bring to the table and serve.

Advice
For a creamier result, you can add a few spoonfuls of soft béchamel sauce on the surface, in this case it is not necessary to dilute the sauce with a ladle of water, or you can try a vegetarian variant and replace the meat sauce with a simple and basil-scented one.

Instead of scamorza, you can opt for provola, fontina, chopped mozzarella or diced sweet gorgonzola, or make nests of simple tagliatelle with a four-cheese dressing, pesto or béchamel sauce, ricotta and spinach.

To enjoy them in all their splendor, we recommend eating the tagliatelle nests hot and fresh. Alternatively, you can keep them in the fridge covered with cling film for a maximum of 2 days: just heat them in the oven for a few moments when serving.