Giada De Laurentiis just shared a Christmas dinner that’s easy to prepare in advance

Christmas is right around the corner, and while you’ve been focusing on buying gifts or baking cakes, you may have put dinner plans on the back burner. Before you get worried, Giada De Laurentiis just shared a comforting main dish that’s sure to wow your family.

Meet Giada’s Cheesy Baked Bolognese: a comforting classic that the chef describes as “a festive delight.” in Last video Along with her daughter, Jade, she prepares the cheesy dish that’s a delicious option for the holiday table — and it’s easy to make in advance!

“The idea is that we can make something that is really delicious, that has a really festive feel, but we can kind of make it in advance so that I don’t have to make it one day,” De Laurentiis says in a video. Here’s how to prepare baked bolognese.

Here are the components you will need to do this Grilled bologneseas listed on the Giadzy website:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 rib of celery, finely chopped
• 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 ½ pounds ground chuck
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• A quarter cup of tomato paste
• 2 cups full fat milk
• 1 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti
• 2 14-ounce cans Corpora Pomodorini tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 package (17.5 oz) of Nodi Marini pasta
• 1 ½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
• 1 ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 ½ teaspoon Calabrian chili paste (optional)

First, mother and daughter chop up onions, carrots, and celery to add to the Bolognese sauce. In a Dutch oven on the stove, add the vegetables with the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil once the beef is cooked.

“We’re going to break down the meat, and we’re going to start browning it and adding some seasoning,” De Laurentiis says after adding the chuck to the pot, seasoning it with a little salt while Jade breaks down the meat. For cooking.

While everything is cooking, De Laurentiis throws in a bay leaf for extra flavor. Then you add Calabrian chili paste and tomato paste.

“It’s not as spicy as red pepper flakes, it’s more like a warm, sweet flavor enhancer,” De Laurentiis describes the chili paste. The jade is then poured into the milk, a traditional ingredient of Bologna. Also add Parmesan cheese and garlic. They leave it to cook for a few minutes, raising the temperature, until the mixture begins to boil and become thick. After mixing, reduce the heat and leave the sauce to simmer for 90 minutes.

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

Meanwhile, the pasta they use as Nodi Marini is boiled on the stove. As De Laurentiis suggests, pasta should be cooked until al dente. Before adding them to the baking dish, De Laurentiis mixes the pasta in the Dutch oven sauce before adding them to the baking dish. Add all the pasta and the rest of the sauce to the dish, and sprinkle Jade over each with mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top. Before putting it in the oven, pour a little olive oil and a cup of pasta water over it.

In a 425°F oven, bake the Bolognese cheese for 25 minutes. Once ready, it will be golden brown, bubbly and “irresistible” to try right away.

“You can make this dish 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.”

This is the perfect winter dinner that can be made for the holidays or as a Sunday dinner course. Although time consuming, baked pasta is worth the effort once you taste it. Plus, you can prepare the sauce in advance, just boil the pasta and bake it in the oven the next day.

For more cheesy pasta recipes, check out this three-step pasta recipe that will keep you warm and cozy.