Tomato Pasta Bake – Pasta Al Forno

A delicious tomato pasta bake (pasta al forno) made with a rich tomato sauce, giant penne pasta, a creamy, cheesy taleggio cheese sauce and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs before being baked to perfection.

Seriously good comfort food…

Pasta Al Forno Meaning

Pasta al forno basically means pasta made in the oven. It can be anything you like, a lot of Italian recipes include sausage or veggies such as eggplant in a tomato sauce with bechamel or mozzarella. Since I already have a sausage pasta bake on the blog, which btw is fricken dee-licious I decided to go for a simpler version, meat free but with loads of cheese…obviously.

So lemme break it down for ya..

Making The Tomato Pasta Bake Sauce

The tomato sauce is super easy BUT like I always say needs the highest quality tomatoes possible. I used Cirio passata rustica which is the rustic, chunkier textured pureed tomatoes instead of the more commonly found silky smooth type.

Also a lot of flavour is created in the first step so don’t miss it. Lightly fry garlic with fresh basil, fennel seeds and oregano in a little olive oil, you’ll smell all the delicious flavours and after a couple of seconds the tomatoes are added….so much yum!

The Pasta

For this tomato pasta bake I used giant ridged penne which work perfectly because the delicious sauces fills the tubes ensuring you get the best flavour in every bite! If you can’t find the giant penne anywhere then normal sized will do or if you happen to already have a short pasta shape in your cupboard then use that!

I’m all for using what you’ve got and keeping the cost down.

What Makes This Tomato Pasta Bake Extra Delicious?

Uggghh the taleggio cheese sauce…so damn delicious. For so long taleggio cheese was my favourite cheese on earth…now I’m literally obsessed with cheese it’s far too hard to choose a favourite and let me tell you it’s perfect melted!

The thing I love most about it is that it keeps it’s flavour when it’s melted so you don’t end up with a bland, so, so cheese sauce. It also just takes this tomato pasta bake up to a whole new level of deliciousness.

So let’s get to tha makin’….

How To Make Tomato Pasta Bake (pasta al forno) – Step By Step

First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

To make the sauce, fry the chopped garlic with the basil, fennel seeds and dried oregano in 1/2 tbsp of olive oil until fragrant. Add the passata rustica (rustic pureed tomatoes) and let it simmer as the pasta cooks (photos 1 & 2).

Don’t have butter? Follow this recipe for making a thick cheesy sauce without butter!

Next make the cheese sauce by making a roux with butter and flour (see recipe card below for more details). Add the milk slowly whilst whisking until it starts to thicken. Add the taleggio cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until the cheese has melted and is thick. Set aside (photos 4-6).

Add the pasta to the tomato sauce and stir until coated well. Transfer it to a baking dish then top with the taleggio cheese sauce. Finally top with breadcrumbs, a tiny drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan (photos 7-9).

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasted and crispy.

Top Tips For Making This Tomato Pasta Bake;

• Under cook the pasta by around 3 minutes because it’ll then be baked in the oven for 30 minutes to cook further.
• If you don’t have taleggio used a good melting cheese such as fontina, gruyere or a mature cheddar
• Use homemade breadcrumbs for this bake, they’re totally different from store bought and make a difference to the end result.
• You can add different herbs and spices such as parsley and chili flakes.

If you’ve tried this Tomato Pasta Bake or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

Step By Step Photos AboveMost of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!

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5 from 2 votes

Tomato Pasta Bake

A delicious tomato pasta bake (pasta al forno) made with a rich tomato sauce, giant penne pasta, a creamy, cheesy taleggio cheese sauce and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs before being baked to perfection.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 658kcal

Author Emily Kemp

Ingredients

• 14 oz (400g) giant penne pasta or regular
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1.7 lbs (4 cups/800g) passata rustic chunky pureed tomatoes
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp oregano dried
• 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil plus a drizzle for topping
• 1 cup (30g) homemade breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tbsp parmesan freshly grated

Cheese Sauce

• 1.7 oz (50g) butter
• 1/3 cup (40g) plain flour
• 1 2/3 cup (400ml) milk
• 3.5 oz (100g) taleggio cheese cut into cubes
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F)
• First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Undercook it by 3-4 minutes according to your packet instruction.
• Meanwhile make the tomato sauce. Fry the chopped garlic with the basil, fennel seeds and dried oregano with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil until fragrant. Add the passata rustica (rustic pureed tomatoes), a good pinch of salt and pepper and let it simmer gently as the pasta cooks.
• Next make the cheese sauce by making a roux with butter and flour in a seperate saucepan (see notes). Add the milk slowly whilst whisking until it starts to thicken. Add the taleggio cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until the cheese has melted and is thick. Turn the heat off and keep warm.
• Add the cooked pasta to the tomato sauce and stir until coated well. Transfer it to a baking dish then top with the taleggio cheese sauce. Finally top with breadcrumbs, a tiny drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasted and crispy.

Notes

Making a roux

1. Add the butter to a saucepan on a medium heat. Once melted add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to form a paste.
2. Stir the paste for 1-2 minutes to cook out the floury taste (important for the taste of the sauce). Next start by add the milk a little at a time whilst whisking to avoid any lumps.

Top Tips For Making This Tomato Pasta Bake;

• Under cook the pasta by around 3-4 minutes because it'll then be baked in the oven for 30 minutes to cook further.
• If you don't have taleggio used a good melting cheese such as fontina, gruyere or a mature cheddar
• Use homemade breadcrumbs for this bake, they're totally different from store bought and make a difference to the end result.
• You can add different herbs and spices such as parsley and chili flakes.

Nutrition Facts

Tomato Pasta Bake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 658 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 37mg12%

Sodium 616mg27%

Potassium 889mg25%

Carbohydrates 103g34%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 22g44%

Vitamin A 1310IU26%

Vitamin C 13.8mg17%

Calcium 288mg29%

Iron 5.8mg32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 658kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 616mg | Potassium: 889mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1310IU | Vitamin C: 13.8mg | Calcium: 288mg | Iron: 5.8mg

Helpful Info for All Recipes

• I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
• When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
• All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
• All recipes are tested and developed using a fan oven
• Find out more about how nutrition is calculated here
• Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples here
• You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking here

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