Pasta al Forno
Pasta al Forno is a super comforting and easy baked pasta recipe made with a rich tomato sauce, penne pasta, a creamy, cheesy taleggio cheese sauce and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs before being baked to perfection.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 658kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups penne pasta or any short pasta shape (14 oz/400g)
Tomato sauce
- ½ tablespoon olive oil plus a drizzle for topping
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4 cups passata rustica chunky pureed tomatoes (can also use smooth passata) (1.7 lbs/800g)
Cheese Sauce
- 4 tablespoon butter (50g)
- ⅓ cup plain flour (40g)
- 1 ⅔ cup whole milk (400ml)
- ½ cup Taleggio cheese cut into cubes (100g)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to season
Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (30g)
- ½ tablespoon 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 ½ 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 soft, once it starts to thicken add the rest of the milk and whisk/stir 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.
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