Timpano Recipe: 6 Tips for Making the Italian Pasta Bake
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Nov 14, 2024 • 6 min read
Timpano is a show-stopping dish composed of layers of meats, cheeses, cooked pasta, tomato sauce, and other traditional Italian ingredients encased in an oversized crust. This indulgent, feast-friendly dish will instantly transport your dinner guests to Italy.
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What Is Timpano?
Timpano, also known as Timballo, is an elaborate pasta bake consisting of layers of tube-shaped pasta (like ziti or rigatoni), meatballs, salami, Italian sausage, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and marinara sauce baked in fresh pasta dough to yield a dome-shaped “drum.” Timpano fillings vary by region in Italy to include different sauces, proteins, and vegetables.
The name “Timpano” comes from the Italian word for “drum.” This ambitious creation is famously featured as the main dish of the climactic meal in the classic film Big Night.
6 Tips for Making Timpano
Timpano is a multi-step dish, so aim to prepare some of the components in advance to expedite the cooking process. Follow these steps to make a Timpano that will impress your dinner guests:
- 1. Use the right bowl. Bake Timpano in a rounded enamelware bowl, which creates this dish’s trademark dome shape and makes it an eye-catching centerpiece for any Italian feast. Properly-greased enamelware also yields a Timpano that cleanly pops out of the bowl. Be sure to use a bowl large and deep enough to fit all of your ingredients. A 6-quart enamelware dish or Dutch oven should be suitable.
- 2. Use plenty of oil. Grease your Timpano baking dish with lots of oil or butter. It’s imperative to grease your baking vessel thoroughly so that you can easily dislodge the dough from the pan. As a rule, it’s better to over-grease than under-grease a Timpano dish.
- 3. Roll the dough super thin. Roll out the Timpano dough as thin as possible without tearing it to create an evenly-cooked golden-brown crust that is crunchy and not chewy.
- 4. Prepare the ingredients in advance. Prepare the elements of your filling a day or two in advance to shave some time off of your day-of Timpano prep. Make the dough and marinara sauce a day in advance so that you’re not overwhelmed on the day that you make the dish. You can also prepare the pasta, meatballs, sausages, and hard-boiled eggs one to two days in advance and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to construct the dish.
- 5. Use your sauce wisely. Adding an excessive amount of sauce to your Timpano can leave you with a soggy dish that doesn’t maintain its shape when you slice it. Only use a few cups of sauce for the filling. You can always top your Timpano slices with extra marinara sauce when you’re ready to serve it if you want some extra moisture.
- 6. Give it time to rest. You may be anxious to cut into your Timpano immediately after you’re done baking it to see how it turned out: Avoid doing that at all costs. This dish needs ample time to rest and cool before you slice it. Allow your dish to rest for at least 30 minutes before you cut into it, which will give the fillings time to settle and the flavors time to develop further.
Homemade Timpano Recipe
makes
prep time
30 mintotal time
7 hr 20 mincook time
1 hr 50 minIngredients
For the pasta dough:
For the meatballs:
For the fillings:
Note: The total time includes 4 hours to chill the pasta dough and 1 hour to rest and cool the completed dish.
- 1
Make the pasta dough. Pour flour in a mound on the center of a cold work surface (such as a large marble cutting board) and make a well in the center. Add the egg yolks, eggs, olive oil, and a pinch of salt to the center of the well.
- 2
Using a fork, lightly beat together the eggs, olive oil, and salt, slowly incorporating the flour a little at a time until it is fully combined. Alternatively, mix the dough in the bowl of a food processor using short pulses.
- 3
Knead the dough with your hands on a lightly floured surface until it feels elastic yet firm and smooth, for at least 10 minutes. If the dough feels sticky, add a little flour. If the dough is too dry to knead, add a little milk. Alternatively, knead the dough in a stand mixer. Use a bench scraper to transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and mix it at low speed, about 10 minutes.
- 4
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- 5
Make the meatballs. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with foil sprayed with nonstick spray.
- 6
Place the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Using your hands, mix the meatball ingredients until everything is well incorporated.
- 7
Pull off about 1½ tablespoons of the meatball mixture and form it into a ball. Place the meatball on the baking sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining meat mixture, leaving about 1 inch between each meatball on the baking sheet.
- 8
Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake until fully cooked through, about 18–20 minutes.
- 9
Remove the meatballs from the oven and set them aside. If you’re making the meatballs a day in advance, allow them to cool to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- 10
When you’re ready to assemble the Timpano, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 6-quart Dutch oven or a deep enamelware bowl all over with a generous amount of olive oil.
- 11
Remove the pasta dough from the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Dust the dough with flour, and begin rolling it out until it is about an ⅛-inch thick and twice as large as your baking vessel, with enough dough to fit into the base of the pan and be twice the height of the pan. You’ll need enough dough to seal the bottom of the Timpano after you’ve lined the bottom of the bowl with it.
- 12
Fold the dough in half twice to form a triangle. Transfer the dough to the oiled pan, unfold the triangle, and gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, allowing the excess dough to hang over the sides.
- 13
In a medium bowl, stir together 1½ cups of the marinara sauce and the cooked rigatoni pasta.
- 14
Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
- 15
Layer the Timpano fillings in the base of the Dutch oven in the following order: rigatoni in marinara, meatballs, ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, salami, hard-boiled eggs, provolone, and Italian sausage.
- 16
Pour the remaining 1½ cups of marinara sauce over the fillings.
- 17
Pour the beaten eggs over the fillings.
- 18
Fold the pasta dough over the top of the fillings to seal tightly.
- 19
Cover the baking vessel with a lid or a sheet of foil and transfer the Timpano to the oven. Bake the Timpano for 1 hour, and remove the lid or foil.
- 20
Continue baking the Timpano uncovered until the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- 21
Remove the Timpano from the oven and allow it to rest in the pan for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- 22
Gently run a knife along the edge of the Timpano to ensure none of the sides are sticking to the pan.
- 23
Place a cutting board or baking sheet over the top of the Dutch oven and carefully flip the pan and cutting board over to invert the Timpano onto the surface. Allow the Timpano to cool for an additional 30 minutes.
- 24
Slice the Timpano into wedges and serve with additional marinara sauce.
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