Giada De Laurentiis Shares Make-Ahead Baked Bolognese

Christmas is just around the corner, and while you’ve been focusing on buying gifts or whipping up cookies, you may have put the dinner plans on the back burner. Before you start worrying, Giada De Laurentiis has a cozy Baked Bolognese recipe that will surely wow your family. This is a cheesy dish that is a delicious option for the holiday table—and it’s easy to make ahead of time! The chef describes it as a “festive delight.” You can watch a video of her making it alongside her daughter, Jade.

“The idea being that we can make something that is super hearty, and has a really festive feel, but we can kind of make it in advance so I don’t have to make it the day of,” De Laurentiis says in the video. Read on for the ingredients and steps to make her Baked Bolognese.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this Baked Bologneseas listed on De Laurentiis’ Giadzy.com website, which features her authentic Italian recipes and favorite specialty foods sourced from small Italian producers.

• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1½ pounds ground chuck
• 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 1½ teaspoons Calabrian chili paste (optional)
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti
• 2 (14 ounce) cans Corbara cherry tomatoes
• 3-inch Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 (17.5 ounce) package marine knots pasta
• 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

First, the mother-daughter duo chop up the onion, carrots and celery to add to the Bolognese sauce, along with the garlic. In a Dutch oven on the stove, the veggies are added along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, and once cooked down, the beef is added.

“We’re going to break up the meat. We’re going to start to brown it and add some seasoning,” De Laurentiis says after adding the chuck to the pot, seasoning it with a pinch of salt while Jade breaks up the meat to cook.

While it’s all cooking down, De Laurentiis throws in a bay leaf for extra flavor. Then, she adds the 1½ teaspoons Calabrian chili paste and ¼ cup tomato paste.

“It’s not spicy like red pepper flakes, it’s more like a warm, sweet flavor enhancer,” De Laurentiis describes the chili paste. Jade then pours in the 2 cups of milk, a traditional ingredient in Bolognese, and lets the sauce cook for a couple of minutes, raising the heat until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. The red wine is added, Corbara pomodorini tomatoes and Parmesan cheese rind. Jade breaks up the tomatoes in the sauce, then lowers the heat and lets the sauce simmer for 90 minutes.

Once the sauce is done and the bay leaf is pulled out, De Laurentiis uses a metal spoon to remove the fat cooked off of the meat that’s resting on the top of the sauce. Then, it’s time to bake. De Laurentiis and her daughter ladle the first layer of sauce at the bottom of a baking dish.

Meanwhile, the pasta—they use nodi marini (sailors-knot shape)—is boiling on the stove. Per De Laurentiis’ suggestion, the pasta should be cooked until al dente. She mixes the pasta into the Dutch oven sauce before adding it to the baking dish. After adding all of the pasta and the rest of the sauce to the dish, Jade sprinkles the 1½ cups of mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese on top. Before putting it in the oven, a drizzle of olive oil and a cup of pasta water is poured over the top.

In a 425° F oven, the cheesy Bolognese is baked for 25 minutes. Once ready, it’ll be golden brown, bubbly and “irresistible” to try immediately.

“You can make this for Christmas dinner or anytime during the holidays if you’re having a Christmas party, this is a great dish,” De Laurentiis says. “It makes your whole house smell so good.”

A pasta dish like this one is the perfect winter dinner, and for the holidays or for Sunday dinner rotation. While time-consuming, the baked pasta will be worth the effort once you give it a taste. Plus, you can make the sauce ahead of time, then just boil the pasta and bake it in the oven the day of. For more cheesy pasta recipes, check out these Three-Step Pasta Bakes That’ll Keep You Warm and Cozy.