Lemon Ricotta Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 450g rigatoni
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and freshly ground black pepper
• 10ml olive oil
• 450g hot or sweet Italian chicken sausage (or Italian pork sausage), casings removed
• 55g unsalted butter
• 25g all-purpose flour
• 480ml milk
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• About 3 lemons, zested and juiced
• 250g ricotta
• 50g grated Parmesan
• 60g baby spinach
• 115g shredded mozzarella
• 225g fresh mozzarella, sliced
• Basil leaves
• Crushed red pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
2. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve 180 ml pasta water, then drain.
3. In a large (preferably ovenproof ) skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Once hot, add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it's cooked through and lightly browned. Remove the sausage from the pan.
4. In the same pan (no need to wash it), lower the heat to medium-low and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and stir for 1 minute, allowing the flour to become fragrant and nutty. Slowly stir in the milk, gently picking up any bits that have stuck to the pan.
5. Mix in the garlic, lemon zest and reserved 180 ml pasta water. Stir until a thick sauce coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon juice, 9 g salt and 1 g black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.
6. Add the drained pasta to the sauce with the sausage, spinach and shredded mozzarella. Mix until the pasta is fully coated. If the pan is not ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a 23 by 33 cm or 3 L baking dish.
7. Cover the top with the slices of fresh mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mozzarella topping is melted with golden brown flecks. Garnish with basil leaves, crushed red pepper and more lemon zest to taste before serving.