America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Italian Love Nests

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on February 7, 2013

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Makes 12 pasta nests

Italian Love Nests

Ingredients

8 ounces angel hair pasta ½ teaspoon table salt, plus extra for boiling1 cup heavy cream 2 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ¼ cups), divided3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine¼ cup dry white wine 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage 1 teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon hot sauce 12 green olives stuffed with pimento

Before You Begin

Spray the muffin cups with vegetable oil spray to keep the nests from sticking.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to pot.
  2. Whisk cream, 3/4 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, wine, eggs, sage, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and hot sauce in bowl. Pour over pasta and toss.
  3. Using tongs, portion pasta mixture into prepared muffin cups, twisting pasta to form uniform nests. Pour any remaining sauce evenly over pasta, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan, and press 1 olive into each nest.
  4. Bake until centers are set and tops are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating tin halfway through baking. Let nests cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run small knife around edges, unmold, and serve warm.
Italian Love Nests

Italian Love Nests

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Makes 12 pasta nests

Ingredients

8 ounces angel hair pasta
½ teaspoon table salt, plus extra for boiling
1 cup heavy cream
2 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ¼ cups), divided
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
¼ cup dry white wine
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon hot sauce
12 green olives stuffed with pimento

Ingredients

8 ounces angel hair pasta
½ teaspoon table salt, plus extra for boiling
1 cup heavy cream
2 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ¼ cups), divided
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
¼ cup dry white wine
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon hot sauce
12 green olives stuffed with pimento

Ingredients

8 ounces angel hair pasta
½ teaspoon table salt, plus extra for boiling
1 cup heavy cream
2 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 ¼ cups), divided
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
¼ cup dry white wine
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon hot sauce
12 green olives stuffed with pimento

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe submission to our America's Best Lost Recipes contest relies on a muffin tin to transform cooked pasta into individual cheesy baked pasta cups studded with prosciutto and sage.

Before You Begin

Spray the muffin cups with vegetable oil spray to keep the nests from sticking.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to pot.
  2. Whisk cream, 3/4 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, wine, eggs, sage, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and hot sauce in bowl. Pour over pasta and toss.
  3. Using tongs, portion pasta mixture into prepared muffin cups, twisting pasta to form uniform nests. Pour any remaining sauce evenly over pasta, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan, and press 1 olive into each nest.
  4. Bake until centers are set and tops are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating tin halfway through baking. Let nests cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run small knife around edges, unmold, and serve warm.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.