Pasta al Forno
Baked pasta layered with tomato sauce, ham, mozzarella and Parmesan, baked for 40 minutes at 200C until bubbling and crisp on top.
Photograph credit: Pasta al Forno 01 (image of pasta al forno on Wikidata Q3897485) by Blues 1911 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
How to Cook Pasta al Forno
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Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Soften the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, add the garlic, passata and salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Boil the pasta in salted water for 3 minutes less than the packet says. Drain.
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Toss the pasta with the sauce, ham, mozzarella and basil.
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Spoon into a baking dish, level and sprinkle with the Parmesan.
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Bake for 40 minutes until bubbling and golden. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Things to Watch For
- Under cook the pasta by 3 minutes.
- Rest the dish before cutting.
- If the top browns too soon, cover with foil.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
The Short Version
Pasta al forno means pasta from the oven, and it covers any dish of pasta baked under cheese. This one is a family version with tomato sauce, cooked ham and plenty of mozzarella, and it is made for a crowd.
Boil the pasta for 3 minutes less than the packet says, because it keeps cooking in the oven and will turn soft if you do not. Toss it with the sauce, ham and cubes of mozzarella while still warm, so the cheese begins to melt. Layer it in the dish and press it down gently, so the top is even and browns well. A thin layer of sauce on the base stops it sticking.
Scatter the Parmesan over the top and bake at 200°C / 390°F for 40 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and golden. Rest it for 10 minutes before serving, which lets the layers set so it cuts in squares. A few spoons of béchamel on top is an alternative, but the tomato version is lighter. It reheats well.
On the Table Alongside
Green salad · Garlic bread · Red wine
Storing Leftovers
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Freeze for 2 months.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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