Pasta Al Forno Baked Pasta With Tomato And Mozzarella Recipes

BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATOES & MOZZARELLA (PASTA AL FORNO CON POMODORI E MOZZARELLA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400ºF/gas 6 and put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Heat a couple of lugs of extra virgin olive oil in an appropriately sized pan. Add your onion, garlic and chilli and slowly fry for about 10 minutes on a medium to low heat until softened but without any colour. If you're using fresh tomatoes, remove the core with the tip of a small knife, plunge them into the boiling water for about 40 seconds until their skin starts to come away, then remove with a slotted spoon or sieve and remove the pan from the heat.
• Put the tomatoes into a bowl and run cold water over them, then slide the skins off, squeeze out the seeds, and roughly chop. Add your fresh or canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic, with a small glass of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes. Now put them through a food processor or blender to make a loose sauce. Tear your basil leaves into the sauce and correct the seasoning with salt, pepper and a little swig of red wine vinegar.
• When the sauce tastes perfect, bring the water back to the boil. Add the orecchiette to the water and cook according to the packet instructions, then drain and toss with half of the tomato sauce and a handful of Parmesan. Get yourself an appropriately sized baking pan or earthenware dish and rub it with a little olive oil. Layer a little pasta in the pan, followed by some tomato sauce, a handful of grated Parmesan and 1 sliced-up mozzarella ball, then repeat these layers until you've used all the ingredients, ending with a good layer of cheese on top. Pop it into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden, crisp and bubbling. Italians seem happy to eat this dish at room temperature or quite cold, but I prefer to eat mine hot.

PASTA, TOMATO, AND MOZZARELLA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Heat oil in a skillet; add garlic and cook over med-high heat until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes and oregano; simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 15 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste; remove and reserve 6 tablespoons tomato sauce from the pan.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, until just firm to the bite; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Toss drained pasta with remaining sauce, adding reserved water as needed.
• Place half the pasta in an oiled 13 x 9 inch baking dish; cover with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan.
• Top with remaining pasta; cover with reserved tomato sauce and remaining mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
• Bake until golden and bubbling, 15 minutes.

PASTA AL FORNO (BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Fill a large pot with 7 litres of water and 70 grams of salt. Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile take a bit of olive oil and put it on some bunched up cling film to rub around the inside of a baking dish.
• Cut the mozzarella into 1.5 cm cubes.
• Cook the penne in the water for the time indicated on the package minus 1 minute. Drain the pasta and add it to the baking dish with the passata, mozzarella, 10 grams of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, oregano and salt to taste.
• Mix the ingredients around until they are well mixed.
• Sprinkle the remaining 40 grams of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top.
• Bake for 15 minutes until the top is golden. Let the pasta sit for 5 minutes before serving.

PASTA AL FORNO: OVEN BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While the rigatoni cooks in salted boiling water, prepare the sauce. In a saucepan heat up the olive oil and saute the eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chile peppers, if using, and garlic, for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree and salt. Let the sauce cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat. Drain the rigatoni; add the pasta to the saucepan, sprinkle with some Parmigiano and cook for another 30 seconds. Then place 1/2 the rigatoni in a baking dish, adding a layer of 1/2 the mozzarella, 1/2 the scamorza and another sprinkle of Parmigiano cheese over the pasta. Add the remaining rigatoni, and follow with a final layer of all the cheeses. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATO, CREAM, AND FIVE CHEESES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• While pasta is cooking, place cream, tomatoes, cheeses, salt, and basil in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add cooked pasta to cheese mixture, and toss to combine.
• Divide among six to eight shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cups in capacity). Dot with butter, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pecorino Romano and scallions. Serve immediately.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add onions and cook slowly until moisture has evaporated but onions are not dark brown, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and bacon. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until meat is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Pour wine into the skillet and cook until evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Fill tomato paste can with water and pour in. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook sauce, uncovered, until oil no longer appears on the surface, about 30 minutes. Add sugar and salt; cook and stir until dissolved, about 3 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini pasta at a boil for about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water. Return pasta to the pot and add a splash of olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9x13-inch baking dishes.
• Add about 1 cup sauce and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese to the pot with the cooked pasta.
• Spoon a thin layer of pasta into each prepared baking dish. Top each with a thin layer of provolone and mozzarella cheeses. Add sauce. Repeat layers with remaining pasta, cheeses, and sauce; finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until hot and melted, 30 to 45 minutes.