Garlic Bread Pasta Torte

May 2020. Ethan turns eighteen on May 20th and it's strange to have such a landmark birthday arrive during a lockdown, with everything that was supposed to surround it removed. No party, no friends over, no restaurant dinner. Just the six of us and the house and whatever I could make of it.

I made everything he asked for: his grandmother's Parker House rolls, slow-cooked short ribs, a chocolate birthday cake with eighteen candles that took three attempts to light all at once because the wind from the open window kept catching them. He blew them all out and the house cheered and Gary and I sang louder than was strictly necessary.

After dinner Ethan asked if he could talk to us about the mission. He'd been in contact with his bishop and had done more research and was ready to say formally: he wanted to put in his papers when he turned eighteen. He wanted to go. We said we supported him. I meant it and I also sat very quietly inside with the understanding that my eldest child was going to leave for two years, with no phone calls, just letters and emails, and I was going to have to find a way to be okay with that.

I'm not there yet. I have time to get there. But I was honest with Gary later that night that the eighteen candles and the mission conversation in the same evening was a lot. He held my hand and said, "He's ready." I said, "I know he is." I do know it. That doesn't make it smaller.

Parker House rolls are what I reach for when I want a meal to feel like it means something — but this Garlic Bread Pasta Torte is the dish I’d put at the center of a table that needed to carry even more weight. That night in May, with eighteen candles and a mission conversation and all of us crowded into the kitchen, I needed food that rose to the occasion without making it feel ordinary. A torte like this — golden, layered, something you have to commit to making — is exactly right for a dinner where you’re celebrating someone who is already, quietly, becoming more than you expected.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti or thin linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 round loaf Italian or sourdough bread (about 9 inches), sliced horizontally into 3 layers

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until just al dente according to package directions. Drain, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and set aside to cool slightly.
Brown the sausage. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up, until browned, about 6–8 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, 3–4 minutes more. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.
Build the filling. Add marinara sauce and red pepper flakes to the sausage mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
Mix the pasta layer. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, eggs, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Stir until evenly coated.
Make the garlic butter. In a small bowl, stir together softened butter, garlic powder, and parsley until smooth.
Prepare the bread shell. Preheat oven to 375°F. Hollow out the middle layer of the bread loaf, leaving about a 3/4-inch border. Spread garlic butter generously over all cut surfaces of all three bread layers. Place the bottom layer in a 9-inch springform pan.
Layer and assemble. Spoon half the pasta mixture into the bread base and press gently to compact. Spread half the sausage sauce over the pasta. Add the hollowed middle bread layer. Repeat with remaining pasta mixture and sauce. Top with the final bread layer, pressing down firmly.
Top and bake. Scatter remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top of the loaf. Tent loosely with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15–20 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
Rest and serve. Let the torte rest in the pan for 10 minutes before releasing the springform. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into wedges, and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Garlic Bread Pasta Torte — The Dinner That Held Everything Together