Pasta Al Forno, Baked Pasta

This Pasta al Forno recipe is a comforting and utterly good 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 ofItalian recipes include sausage or they can be meat-free with 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 popular (and good) soWe decided to make another Pasta al Forno recipe without meat that's as comforting and as good.

What makes this pasta bake extra good?

Answer – the most good, creamy, rich and good cheese sauce made with one of our favourite cheeses, Taleggio!

What we 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).

Next, 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 speedy, suited to busy evenings when you don't have much time. The sauces can also be frozen defrost them completely before reheating.

Swaps

• 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 we 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 easy BUT like we always say it needs the highest quality tomatoes possible. We 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 withfresh basil, fennel seedsandoregano in a little olive oil, you'll smell all the good 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

What's the best pasta to use?

For our Pasta al Forno recipe we used giant penne pasta but you can use any short pasta shape you like such as fusilli or rigatoni (ziti).

Can this pasta be frozen?

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

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Sausage Pasta Bake – Spicy and Creamy

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Herby Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce

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Cavatelli and Broccoli Pasta

Pasta

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Ingredients

Makes 6 people

• 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)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)

2. 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

1. 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

1. 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.

2. 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

1. 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.

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

Kitchen notes

• Making the tomato sauce The tomato sauce is easy BUT like we always say it needs the highest quality tomatoes possible. We 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 good 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.