1. Recipes

How to Make Naunie's Pastera (Leftover Easter Pasta Bake) - A Step-by-Step Guide

There's nothing quite like a comforting casserole to warm the soul, and Naunie's Pastera (Leftover Easter Pasta Bake) is the perfect dish to make with your leftover Easter ham and hard-boiled eggs. This delicious and hearty pasta bake is a family favorite, passed down through the generations from our dear Naunie, and it's the ultimate way to use up those holiday leftovers in a creative and tasty way.

Naunie's Pastera is a simple and versatile recipe that you can easily adjust to suit ...

Read more

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • ¼ pound elbow macaroni
  • ¼ pound ziti pasta
  • ¼ pound farfalle (bow tie) pasta
  • ¼ pound radiatore pasta
  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2- inch slices
  • 12 jumbo eggs, or more if needed
  • ½ cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese, or more if needed
  • salt to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Information

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 2 hrs 40 mins
  • Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins
  • Servings: 24
  • Yield: 2 pasta casseroles

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Grease a 2-quart and a 1 1/2-quart round glass baking dish each with 3/4 teaspoon olive oil; drizzle 1 tablespoon of remaining olive oil into bottom of each baking dish.
  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni, ziti, farfalle, and radiatore pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
  • Arrange sausage slices on foil-lined baking sheet.
  • Bake sausage in the preheated oven until browned and crisp, 30 to 45 minutes. Lower oven heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  • Beat eggs in a large bowl until foamy, using an electric mixer. Add Pecorino-Romano cheese, salt, and black pepper; continue to beat egg mixture with electric mixer on highest speed until eggs and cheese are blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir cooked pasta into eggs and cheese; mixture should be runny and look like pasta is floating in egg mixture. Stir additional beaten eggs and Pecorino-Romano cheese into mixture if more egg mixture is needed.
  • Ladle spoonfuls of egg-pasta mixture into each casserole, followed by a layer of sausage; continue layering pasta mixture and sausage until all sausage has been used. Top casseroles with final layer of pasta mixture. Drizzle top of each casserole with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Small pieces of pasta should stick out of the egg mixture.
  • Bake in the oven until casseroles are set in the center, about 1 hour; raise oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking until the tops of casseroles are browned and crispy, 1 to 1 1/2 more hours.

    • Nutrition

    192 cal.

    • Total Fat: 10g
    • Saturated Fat: 3g
    • Cholesterol: 131mg
    • Sodium: 234mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 15g
    • Dietary Fiber: 1g
    • Total Sugars: 1g
    • Protein: 10g
    • Calcium: 50mg
    • Iron: 1mg
    • Potassium: 124mg

    Categories

    Bake recipes
    Pasta recipes
    Leftover recipes
    Easter recipes