Pasta al Forno, an oven baked pasta with a creamy and cheesy sauce, is delicious and easy to make. This step by step recipe gives you detailed instructions on how to prepare this classic Italian dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 (1 lb) can tomato puree
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
How To Make Pasta al Forno
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add sausage and break into small crumbles with a spatula. Cook until browned, then drain off grease.
- Add tomato puree, ¼ cup water, salt, pepper, and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- As sauce simmers, boil pasta in generously salted water until almost al dente (slightly undercooked). Measure out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside, then drain out the remaining water.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce after the 30 minutes, along with 1 ½ cups mozzarella and ½ cup pasta water. Stir to combine and add remaining pasta water only if the mixture is dry.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Transfer pasta mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Bake pasta for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and cheese begins to turn golden.
