About the recipe

This incredible late summer recipe makes a thick ratatouille inspired sauce to coat mezzi rigatoni. The idea is to slow cook all of the ingredients in an open pot in the oven to make a thick jammy sauce full of summer vegetable flavor. The sauce is finished with fresh herbs and lemon and then tossed with the pasta. The sauce is very forgiving and if it ends up over reduced, simply add some starchy pasta water to the desired consistency. Thinly sliced ricotta salata adds a salty cheesy contrast to the jammy almost sweet sauce. If you’re feeling crazy, you could also cook this on the smoker, nice and low and slow.

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 300F. In a large dutch oven or large ovenproof pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. 1-2 minutes. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 4-5 minutes longer.
2. Remove pot from oven. Stir in the fresh herbs and lemon zest, squeeze lemon juice to taste and season with more salt if needed. Drain pasta and add directly to the pot of sauce. Stir to coat pasta, adding some starchy pasta cooking liquid if needed to loosen the sauce a bit.
3. Serve in warmed bowls topped with sliced ricotta salata and a lemon wedge.