Pasta Choices

• Clay pots aren't suitable for cooking dry pasta from scratch, but you can make pasta casseroles or soups containing pasta in the pot. Boil the pasta on the stove, drain it and cool it to room temperature before adding it to the pot. Another option is fresh pasta, either homemade or store-bought refrigerated pasta. Add this pasta to the pot uncooked. It will cook sufficiently with the other ingredients in the oven.

Pot Preparation

• Glazed clay pots require some preparation before you can cook with them. If the pot hasn't been used previously, soak both the lid and the glazed bottom pot in cold water for 30 minutes to two hours right before you use it. If you have previously soaked and cooked in the pot, the pot or lid may only require soaking for 10 minutes prior to cooking. Soak times vary depending on the manufacturer, so refer to the owner's manual if necessary. Soaking allows the pot to absorb moisture, which it releases as it cooks. Failure to soak can result in burned or dry foods, or it can cause the pot lid to crack in the oven's heat.

Cooking Basics

• Drastic temperature fluctuations cause clay pots to crack. Avoid shocking the pot by placing the pasta and other ingredients in it when they are at room temperature. Place the filled clay pot in a cold oven, and then turn the oven on. This allows the pot to heat slowly with the oven, which prevents breakage.

Turning on the Heat

• Most clay pot pasta dishes require a cooking temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit. These pasta dishes generally take about 25 minutes to cook if the meat is precooked, or 40 minutes if it's partially cooked, before it is added it to the pot. Pasta dishes containing uncooked ground meats or small chunks of meats require an hour or more for the meat to cook thoroughly. Cook meats in a clay pot to a safe internal temperature of 165 F for poultry and ground meat or 145 F for pork or steak; you can check their doneness with a food thermometer.

Additions and Ideas

• Almost any baked pasta dish is possible in a clay pot. You can layer fresh lasagna noodles with a marinara, meat or white sauce; vegetables; and cheese to make a simple lasagna. Cooked macaroni and cheese, alone or mixed with chopped vegetables or ham, also cooks well in a clay pot if you preboil the macaroni. Pasta soups are another option. Mix your broth and herbs in the pot, and then add vegetables, meat and cooked or fresh pasta before baking. Use oven mitts when removing the pot from the oven, and set the hot pot on a cloth pot pad to avoid burns and temperature shock.