Baked Tagliatelle Nests

Method

1. In a saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil with a garlic clove and thyme sprigs.
2. Add the luganega sausage, crumble it by hand into bite-sized pieces, and brown over high heat.
3. Remove the sausage pieces and set aside. In the same pan, add tomato passata and rinse the container with a little water, adding it to the pan.
4. Season with a pinch of salt, stir, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, check the sauce; it should be liquid. Add the sausage pieces back in and stir to combine.
6. Prepare the tagliatelle (dry semolina type). Place small nests of pasta in a baking dish.
7. Add a few sausage pieces on top of each nest, then cover with the sauce. Add diced mozzarella pieces (one or two per nest) and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan.
8. Bake in a preheated ventilated oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
9. Serve the nests by mixing them with a fork to enjoy the gooey cheese and rich sauce.