Timballo is a savory Italian casserole made with pasta or rice, cheese, eggs, and sauce. It can also include sausage, eggplant, or minced meat. It is baked until the outer crust hardens and can be served as a cake. It can be prepared in layers or mixed together and poured into a deep pan. It is cooked in the oven until heated through and can be served sliced or with a spoon.
Timballo is an Italian dish that is essentially a savory casserole made in such a way that the outside of the casserole hardens, allowing it to be unmold and served as if it were a cake. There are numerous variations throughout Italy, but many use pasta or rice as a base along with cheese, eggs, and cream or bechamel sauce. Another type of ingredient can also be used – sausage, eggplant, more cheese or minced meat, for example. In some areas of Italy, a timbale is made with wide sheets of fresh pasta or thin crepes that are layered with tomato sauce, cheese and meat in a similar preparation to lasagna, although the dish is still shaped as it cooks. Some very elaborate and sometimes less traditional timbale recipes wrap the ingredients in a thin layer of dough.
A classic timbale made with pasta, meat, tomato sauce, cheese, eggs and béchamel sauce can be prepared in at least two ways. One of the simplest ways is to cook the meat with flavorings like garlic and onions before combining it with the rest of the ingredients and mixing everything together with the pasta sauce and bechamel sauce, incorporating the eggs towards the end. This is a very simple preparation which can then be poured into a greased, deep-bottomed pan similar to what would be used for a sweet pie.
A second way to prepare the timbale is to make layers, starting with the dough in the bottom of the pan. In general, the ingredients are layered in such a way that the béchamel sauce and the eggs, if eggs are used, can reach the dough and help form the solid crust that makes the timbale a molded dish. The pasta used usually comes in a short form such as macaroni or ziti, although recipes sometimes use spaghetti or vermicelli.
Some timbale recipes use rice instead of pasta. This version can be made by preparing the rice risotto-style first, slowly allowing the rice to absorb broth or water until it is fully cooked. The rice is gently pressed into the bottom and sides of a deep roasting pan, forming the walls of the saucepan. A filling – perhaps made up of beef, onions and tomatoes – is prepared in a separate pot, poured into the center of packed rice and covered with cheese, plus rice or pasta.
Whichever method is used, the filled pan is placed in an oven and cooked until all the ingredients have heated through and the outer crust of the casserole has set. If served, the timbale can be pie-shaped on a serving plate. Depending on the ingredients and final texture, slices may be cut from the unmolded casserole or a spoon may be required for serving particularly moist fillings.
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