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Puglia is best known as the heel to Italy’s boot. The region leads Italy in producing wheat, tomatoes, and olives, and is frequently referred to as the breadbasket of Italy. A beloved dish of the region, Pasta alla Tranese, is a baked pasta featuring tomatoes, stracciatella, and pecorino. For this recipe, you’ll make fresh stracciatella (see chef’s note). Stracciatella is the creamy filling of burrata, is a versatile treat you'll want to use beyond this dish—on crusty bread, pizza, or even as a dip.
MAKES FOUR - SIX SERVING
For the stracciatella
For the sauce
For the marinated tomatoes
DIRECTIONS
To make the stracciatella, combine mozzarella and heavy cream in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Stir together, cover, and transfer to the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the passata or crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to maintain a low simmer for 20-25 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally. Remove sauce from heat and stir in sugar. Add salt to taste, then add the basil sprig. Set aside while preparing the rest of the dish.
To make the marinated tomatoes, combine the halved tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, and olive oil in a bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt to taste, toss to combine, then set aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta for 4-5 minutes (a few minutes before it is al dente) then strain and transfer to the skillet with the sauce and gently stir to combine. Remove the basil sprig.
In a 9x13 baking dish that’s been sprayed, add half the pasta and spread evenly. Then layer 1 cup of the stracciatella and generously sprinkle 1/3 of the pecorino over the pasta. Add the remaining pasta evenly to the dish. Top with another cup of stracciatella and another 1/3 of the pecorino. Top with the marinated tomatoes and the remaining pecorino.
Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, or until the edges of the dish are bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve, topped with parsley, breadcrumbs, and more pecorino.
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Chef's Note: It’s best to make the stracciatella 1 day in advance.
Avoid mini San Marzano tomatoes, as their low flesh-to-juice ratio doesn't work well in this dish. Opt for round, juicy cherry or grape tomatoes.
Each component—stracciatella, sauce, and marinated tomatoes—should be seasoned throughout cooking to prevent an overly salty final dish
Finally, If you are making this dish with another pasta, the boil time might increase. The pasta should be strained a few minutes before it is al dente, as it will continue to cook when baking.
Pasta Swaps: This recipe would also work well with Sfoglini Semolina Radiators, Cascatelli, or Whole Grain Reginetti.