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This Pasta al Forno recipe is a super comforting and utterly delicious Italian baked pasta made with a rich tomato sauce, penne pasta, creamy taleggio cheese sauce and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. Seriously good comfort food!
Pasta al Forno translates as oven-baked pasta. It can be anything you like, a lot of Italian recipes include sausage or they can be meat-free with just veggies. The pasta is baked in a tomato and/or creamy white bechamel sauce (besciamella) and topped with lots of mozzarella cheese.
Baked pasta is undoubtedly one of the most comforting foods out there. Our sausage pasta bake is super popular (and absolutely delicious) so I decided to make another Pasta al Forno recipe without meat that’s just as comforting and just as delicious.
What makes this pasta bake extra delicious?
Answer – the most incredible, creamy, rich and delicious cheese sauce made with one of my favourite cheeses, Taleggio!
What I love most about Taleggio cheese is that it keeps a strong flavour when it’s melted so you don’t end up with a bland cheese sauce. It takes this Pasta al Forno to a whole new level of deliciousness.
See the recipe below including step by step photos, tips and variations. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below.
Step by step photos and instructions
First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for only 4-5 minutes (it’s important you don’t cook it any longer)
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 (chunky sieved tomatoes) and let it simmer for 10 minutes (photos 1 & 2).
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Pin ItNext, make the cheese sauce. Add the butter to a saucepan, once melted add the flour and whisk to form a paste. Let the paste cook for about 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
Add half of the milk whilst whisking until smooth. Once the sauce starts to thicken add the rest of the milk and whisk or stir the sauce until smooth and thickened. 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.
How to prepare this in advance
You can prepare the cheese sauceand tomato sauce in advance (up to 2 days before) so all you need to do is reheat them, partially cook the pasta and assemble.
Cutting the sauce prep time down makes this recipe super speedy, perfect for busy evenings when you don’t have much time. The sauces can also be frozen just defrost them completely before reheating.
Variations and substiutions
- Sauces – You can follow this recipe with pretty much any sauce you like why not try our creamy vodka sauce or white bechamel sauce (check out our butter-free bechamel too).
- Vegetables – You can add in veggies such as sauteed zucchini (courgette), eggplant (aubergine), peas or peppers.
- Flavour boost – A quick way to add in a punch of extra flavour is to add in some roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- Herbs and spices – You can add different herbs and spices such as parsley and chili flakes to switch it up.
- Add meat – to add meat to the pasta bake I recommend trying crispy pancetta, Italian sausage, ‘Nduja, Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham) or use our beef ragu instead of the tomato sauce.
Top tips for making Pasta al Forno
- Making the tomato sauce – The tomato sauce is super easy BUT like I always say it needs the highest quality tomatoes possible. I used Cirio Passata Rustica which is the rustic, chunkier textured tomato pureed instead of the more commonly found silky smooth type but smooth passata will work great (Mutti or Cirio).
- Tomato sauce tip 2 – Also, a lot of flavour is created in the first step so don’t miss it. Lightly fry the 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!
- Cooking the pasta – Don’t cook the pasta for any more than 5 minutes. It bakes in the oven for 30 minutes so it’s important not to overcook it (or fully cook it) otherwise the pasta will be too soft.
- Cheese to use – If you don’t have Taleggio use a good melting cheese such as Fontina, Provolone Piccante or Gruyere.
- Crispy topping – Panko breadcrumbs work great here because they’re light and extra crispy but any kind of breadcrumbs will do.
Recipe FAQs
For our Pasta al Forno recipe I used giant penne pasta but you can use any short pasta shape you like such as fusilli or rigatoni (ziti).
Yes, baked pasta can be frozen for up to 3 months although it tastes it’s best served immediately. Defrost completely before baking.
More pasta recipes you might like
If you’ve tried this Pasta al Forno Recipe 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, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Pasta al Forno
Ingredients
- 4 cups penne pasta, or any short pasta shape (14 oz/400g)
Tomato sauce
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle for topping
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 4 cups passata rustica, chunky pureed tomatoes (can also use smooth passata) (1.7 lbs/800g)
Cheese Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter, (50g)
- 1/3 cup plain flour, (40g)
- 1 and 2/3 cups whole milk, (400ml)
- 1/2 cup Taleggio cheese, cut into cubes (100g)
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to season
Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, (30g)
- 1/2 tbsp parmesan, freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)
- First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook it for 4-5 minutes only. Don't cook it any longer, drain and set aside. Add a drizzle of olive oil to stop the pasta stick once drained.
Make the tomato sauce
- Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Fry the chopped garlic with the basil, fennel seeds and dried oregano with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil until fragrant. Add the passata rustica (chunky tomato puree), a good pinch of salt and pepper and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Make the cheese sauce
- As the tomato sauce is simmering make the cheese sauce. Add the butter to a saucepan on a medium heat. Once melted add the flour and whisk to form a paste. Let the mixture cook for about 1 minute whilst whisking.
- Add half of the milk whisking until smooth, once it starts to thicken add the rest of the milk and whisk the sauce until thickened. Add the taleggio cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce has a thick and creamy consistency. Turn the heat off and set aside.
Assemble
- 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.
Video
Notes
- Making the tomato sauce – The tomato sauce is super easy BUT like I always say it needs the highest quality tomatoes possible. I used Cirio Passata Rustica which is the rustic, chunkier textured tomato pureed instead of the more commonly found silky smooth type but smooth passata will work great (Mutti or Cirio).
- Tomato sauce tip 2 – Also, a lot of flavour is created in the first step so don’t miss it. Lightly fry the 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!
- Cooking the pasta – Don’t cook the pasta for any more than 5 minutes. It bakes in the oven for 30 minutes so it’s important not to overcook it (or fully cook it) otherwise the pasta will be too soft.
- Cheese to use – If you don’t have Taleggio use a good melting cheese such as Fontina, Provolone Piccante or Gruyere.
- Crispy topping – Panko breadcrumbs work great here because they’re light and extra crispy but any kind of breadcrumbs will do.
- Storage and freezing – although this pasta is best served immediately you can store leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days or you can freeze the pasta bake for up to 3 months.
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 Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi,I making this for Christmas Day and wanted to know how much of the recipe I can do the day before. I was thinking I could make the red sauce for sure but what do you think about making the dish with the exception of topping and put it in fridge til ready to bake?
Thank you,
Susy
Hi Suzy, you can make both sauces (tomato sauce and cheese sauce) in advance and store them in the fridge. I wouldn’t make the pasta as it’ll soften too much over night. If you have the sauces made you can just boil the pasta and assemble on the day of. You’ll need to warm the cheese sauce back up to loosen it again. Hope you enjoy it and Merry Christmas!
My fussy kid loves it! Will make it again. Thank you so much.
Hey Renee, so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
My mouth instantly watered! I know this will be such a hit at any party! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!
This recipe is so up my alley! There’s no better comfort food than cheesy pasta. Perfect during the cold winter months.
This is such a nice comfort food during the winter. My family will definitely devour the whole thing. 🙂
Cheesy backed pasta is always a favorite at our house and the crunchy topping makes this one even more of a favorite!
You can’t go wrong with cheesy baked pasta!
I love that I can make this tomato pasta bake two different ways depending on how much time I have that day and both are going to be equally delicious.
Aw thank you Kelly, hope you enjoy them!
Oooh these photos SERIOUSLY made me hungry! Looks delish!
Thank so much Eden!
Ooooh, perfect comfort food! Look at all that creaminess! My family will love this. 🙂
Thanks so much Catherine, hope you enjoy!