Timpano di Pasta Recipe

Inspired by my favorite foodie movie, Big Night, this timpano di pasta recipe is my interpretation of the famous dish featured in the movie. A layered baked pasta dish with meatballs, sausage, pasta with tomato sauce and pasta with béchamel sauce all covered in a savory crust, timpano is without a doubt a labor of love and sure to impress all!

The most memorable food scene in a movie, in my opinion, is from Big Night (1996). Primo e Secondo, Italian immigrant brothers, are preparing their timpano di pasta for the guests in their restaurant who are expecting Louis Prima to show up, but that’s another story!

They labour over it meticulously, they carefully unmold it from the drum-like basin it was baked it in, then carefully handle it, smell it and tap it. Their guests silently watch in awe as it is sliced and when they take their first bite they are practically swooning.  

At that moment I knew I had to attempt this iconic dish. I was inspired both by Stanley Tucci’s family recipe as well as this recipe. And so, along with my son, I created a timpano recipe that I knew my family would enjoy.

I made mini meatballs and stirred them into the pasta with tomato sauce; I used mild Italian sausage instead of salami or other cured meats and dressed half the pasta with a creamy béchamel sauce to create two distinct layers of pasta.

Although it is definitely not a traditional family recipe, I felt it was time to share the recipe for our version of timpano di pasta here.

What is timpano?

Timpano also called timballo, sartu or pasticcio in different parts of Italy consists of a savoury pie crust that can be filled with (other from pasta) rice and other ingredients such as a variety of cheeses, meats, eggs or even potatoes.  The word timpano refers to the drum shaped casserole that it is baked in.

In the movie they bake it in an enamelware casserole but I used a simple dome shaped stainless steel bowl with a 4 litre capacity, the type that we all have in our kitchens. 

Watch this step by step Italian language video on how to make Timpano di Pasta!

Make timpano by separating the recipe into easy manageable steps:

This recipe may appear daunting and it is indeed quite an undertaking . However it can be easily broken down into smaller manageable steps. Here is my recommendation:

• Prepare the dough up to three days ahead and refrigerate it. Bring it back to room temperature before rolling it out.
• Make the small meatballs in tomato sauce up to two days ahead and keep refrigerated.
• Cook the sausage a day ahead, slice and keep refrigerated.
• The day you assemble and bake the timpano, prepare the béchamel sauce, cook the pasta and toss half with the tomato sauce with meatballs and half with the béchamel sauce.

The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed, printable recipe card.

How to make Timpano di Pasta:

Prepare the dough:

• In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the eggs, oil and milk in a separate bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
• Use a fork to incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients. When the mixture begins to resemble a dough, place on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth.
• Cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the meatballs and tomato sauce:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour the milk over them, stirring to combine. I use breadcrumbs from the crumb of day old bread (crusts removed) hand torn into small pieces or pulsed in a food processor until broken down into coarse crumbs. Let sit for a few minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In a large bowl combine ground meat, egg, Parmigiano cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Using your hands, squeeze out excess milk from the breadcrumbs and add to the meat mixture.

Combine all ingredients and shape into 36 mini meatballs. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

At the same time, bake the sausages for 20-30 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Cut into thin slices and set aside.

Meanwhile prepare the tomato sauce. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and add a diced onion. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

Pour in the tomato passata. Add about 1 cup of water to the jar and swirl to gather excess sauce and pour into the pan. Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper, then lower to a simmer. When the meatballs are ready add to the tomato sauce and let simmer for an hour.

Prepare the béchamel sauce:

Melt butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Do not allow it to brown (1). Whisk in flour until it forms a thick paste (2). Slowly whisk in milk and stir (3). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (4).  Remove from heat and add a pinch of nutmeg, grated Parmigiano cheese and salt, to taste.

Cook the pasta: 

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for 3 minutes less than the time suggested on the package. Divide pasta into 2 bowls.
• Stir the béchamel sauce in one bowl of pasta. Thin the sauce with pasta water if necessary.
• Toss the tomato sauce and mini meatballs with the pasta in the second bowl. Stir in the Parmigiano cheese

Assemble the timpano:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a stainless steal bowl with a 4 litre capacity generously with butter and oil and dust with dry breadcrumbs.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large circle of about 1/4 inch thickness. Carefully place the dough over the bowl. You should have approximately 2 inches of dough hanging over the edge.

• Pour in the pasta with the tomato sauce and meatballs in 2 or 3 layers, dotting each layer with a few dollops of ricotta. Gently press down on the pasta with your hands.
• Place sausage slices over the pasta. Pour in the pasta with béchamel sauce over the sausage and lightly flatten with your hands.
• Fold over the remaining dough over the pasta. The pasta will not be completely covered by the dough. Beat the egg and brush over the dough. Pour the remaining egg over the pasta.
• Cover the exposed pasta in the centre with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for about 1 hour or until the dough is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.

Carefully flip the timpano onto a large cutting board. At this point it would be best to let it sit. loosely tented with foil, for about 30 minutes before slicing in order to prevent the pasta from spilling out of the dough.

Recipe Notes

Substitutions and Variations:

This is my favorite combination of ingredients for timpano, however it can be endlessly varied with ingredients of your choice:

-A vegetarian version of this dish is also possible by adding sautéed or or roasted vegetables of your choice instead of sausage and meatballs including eggplant, mushrooms or peppers.

-Add a layer of hard boiled eggs as I do in my traditional pasta al forno or Sicilian lasagna recipes.

-Replace the sausage with cured meats such as cubed salami or prosciutto cotto.

Which pasta is best for making timpano?

I recommend using penne or rigatoni as they hold up well after the timpano is sliced and make for a beautiful presentation. 

What can I use to bake the timpano in?

-In the movie, the timpano is baked in an enamel oven safe basin.

-I used a dome shaped basic 4 litre stainless steel mixing bowl.

-A spring form pan may also be used, although you won’t get that dramatic height as you would with a basin or bowl.

More tips

-Be sure to reserve some of the pasta cooking water  in order to thin out the béchamel (if needed) when you stir it into the pasta.

-Roll out the dough as thin as possible. It does need to be a perfect circle.

Without a doubt this dish is total carb overload and you will be compelled to take a nap afterward so I suggest serving this for lunch rather than dinner. The only other thing you’ll want to serve with this dish is a salad, trust me. Why not try it for New Year’s Day lunch? What a way to start off the year!

If you try out this amazing recipe, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!