What could be more comforting during the fall and winter months than a steaming bowl of creamy, cheesy pasta? Alex Guarnaschelli recommends making a baked ziti that is heavy on the cheese and on the cream. One of the joys of making baked ziti at home is that the prep work is relatively simple and the ingredients are minimal. For a classic baked ziti, you need only the basics: cheese, sauce, and pasta. The dish is also wonderfully customizable as some home cooks like to add ground beef or sausage, but the vegetarian version can be just as satisfying as long as you don’t skimp on a quality sauce and a hearty portion of cheese.
To prepare Guarnaschelli’s other favorite, Alfredo, she wants you to be as generous with the cheese as you are with the peas. Fettucine alfredo can be found at most Italian-American restaurants and is perhaps best described as adult mac and cheese as the base ingredients are cream, cheese, and butter. For a more elevated iteration, we suggest adding eggs and a few dashes of nutmeg, as well as Guarnaschelli’s recommended peas. Both pasta dishes are best when they’re oozing with melted cheese that entirely coats with pasta, leaving you with a bowl of nourishing, mouthwatering comfort.