Pasta al forno, which stands for ‘pasta’ al forno-‘from the oven’, is a favorite and popular Italian dish. The al forno usage was originally used to refer to dishes that were made in a traditional wood-fired brick oven and has now transpired to modern-day conventional ovens. The term stems from cuisine popular in Northern Italy, but its style has spread throughout the Mediterranean. Pasta al forno follows similar ingredients and steps used to make lasagna, but easier to make, requiring less prepping and cooking time and giving it a more rustic and heartier texture and taste to it.
Pasta Al Forno
Ingredients:
- 5 carrots (chopped)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 3 cups of frozen peas
- 1 package of rigatoni pasta
- 2 jars of tomato puree or chopped tomatoes (if using chopped tomatoes, be sure to blend it. For best results, use 1 jar of tomato puree and 1 can of chopped tomatoes)
- 1 mozzarella ball (shredded)
- Small package of lean ground beef (optional)
- 2 teaspoons of oregano
- Salt and pepper for taste
Directions:
- In a non-stick pan, add olive oil and turn heat to medium-high. Add chopped onion, garlic, and carrots. Sautee for 3 minutes.
- Add tomato puree and/or chopped tomatoes (see variety of the two above). Add salt and pepper and oregano. Stir well and turn heat down to medium. Cook the sauce for 20-30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, boil frozen peas according to cooking instructions on package.
- If you are adding the ground beef option in this dish, brown the ground beef in a separate non-stick pan and set aside.
- Once the tomato sauce is cooked, add the cooked peas and if you are including the ground beef, add that as well to the cooked sauce. Stir well. This is your main component of the dish. By mixing the peas and ground beef (if using) into the sauce, you are creating one mixed dish, making it easier to put the pasta together later.
- Cook rigatoni, drain well.
Putting It All Together:
Once everything is cooked, you are ready to put it all together.
- In a large casserole dish, cover the bottom of the dish with the sauce
- Add a good layer of rigatoni pasta, then add another layer of the sauce overtop and a layer of shredded mozzarella to cover both.
- Repeat the above steps again.
- Cover casserole dish with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
The ground beef option is another way of enjoying a pasta al forno recipe. You can add it to this recipe, giving it the additional taste of meat, or make the recipe without it, making it a vegetarian or lighter dish.
