Baked candles

The baked candle timbale is a rich and tasty first course, perfect for special occasions. Here's how to prepare it.

A classic first course from Campania cuisine , baked candles are a type of pasta halfway between ziti and cannelloni. They are prepared by blanching them in water for a few minutes and then forming layers with parmesan and ragù , almost as if they were lasagne without bechamel.

The result is a tasty baked pasta that can also be prepared in advance and baked just before sitting down to the table. Like many recipes of this type, there are several variations which usually involve the addition of other stringy cheeses between the layers .

How to prepare the baked candles recipe

1. First you need to prepare the sauce. Chop celery, carrot and onion and sauté with oil. Then add the minced meat and brown it for a few minutes before adding the red wine.
2. Pour the tomato puree, season with salt and pepper and leave to cook for at least an hour . As always when making ragù, the longer it cooks, the better it is.
3. Then boil the candles for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, drain them and leave them to dry on a cloth.
4. In a baking dish, create layers by alternating a little sauce, a layer of pasta, more sauce and some parmesan . Continue in this way until you run out of ingredients.
5. Bake the candles with the ragù in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes then leave to cool before serving.

You can make the timbale even better by adding diced mozzarella or scamorza between the layers (200 g will be enough).

If you liked the idea of ​​preparing a pasta timbale then we recommend you also try the baked ziti with aubergines .

storage

Baked candles will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. We recommend heating them in the oven or air fryer before consuming them.