Name: Timballo
Cook time: 1 3/4 hr
Total time: 3 hr
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 main-course servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage meat (remove casings if in links); 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 1 celery rib, finely chopped; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1/2 cup dry red wine; 1 (14- to 15-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, forced with juices through a food mill (1 1/2 cups); Pinch of sugar; 3/4 lb ziti; 1 lb green Swiss chard, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (4 cups); 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 1 cup whole milk; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon white pepper; 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup); 4 oz fresh mozzarella (not unsalted), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (scant 1cup); a 2-qt soufflé dish; parchment paper; a 6- to 8-qt wide pot

Image may contain Food Lunch Meal Dish Dessert Pastry Pasta Furniture Tabletop and Lasagna

TimballoRomulo Yanes

Inspired by Big Night

Set in New Jersey in the 1950s, this 1996 film revolves around the conflict between two immigrant brothers who decide to open a restaurant. Primo defends his purist Italian cooking to Secondo, his brother, who is more concerned with the bottom line. Frustrated with customers who want simple plates of spaghetti and meatballs, Primo prepares timpano, a complex, drum-shaped dish of pasta-filled pastry.

We've taken the timpano and simplified it into a timballo, a molded casserole without a pastry crust. For added flair, arrange the ziti in a decorative pattern as you make the first layer of the timballo.

Recipe notes

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Heavenly Halva Cake

Serve a thick slice for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Kung Pao Cabbage With Tofu

Reliable cabbage is cooked in the punchy sauce and then combined with store-bought baked tofu and roasted cashews for a salad that can also be eaten with rice.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter

This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.

White Bean Turkey Chili

A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.