Al Forno Baked Pasta Food

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Cook pasta; drain; rinse with cold water.
• In bowl, combine marinara, mozzarella, spinach or broccoli, cottage cheese or ricotta, 6 T Parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir in pasta and chopped, cooked chicken (or ground beef); transfer to baking dish.
• Stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil; sprinkle over pasta. Bake until hot, 25-30 minutes.

PASTA POMODORO FOR TWO

Steps:

• Puree the tomatoes using an immersion blender or food processor. Set aside.
• In a saucepot over medium heat, combine the olive oil, pepper flakes and garlic. Gently toast the garlic until golden brown, being careful not to burn it. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer; simmer 5 to 8 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the pot with the sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, half of both cheeses and half of the basil and cook, tossing frequently, until the pasta is nicely coated. Season with salt if necessary.
• Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the remaining cheese and basil and drizzle with olive oil.

MEATBALL PASTA BAKE (PASTA AL FORNO)

Steps:

• Mix the grated onion, 1 crushed garlic clove, mince, breadcrumbs, milk, parmesan and parsley in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Mash the mixture together with your hands until combined. Mould the mix into small balls (about walnut-sized) with damp hands. There will be about 20 meatballs.
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the meatballs for 6-8 mins until golden brown all over. Fry in batches if you need to - they don't need to be cooked through, just browned on the outside. Set aside on a plate.
• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in the pan and fry the chopped onion for 5 mins until softened. Add the remaining garlic, fry for another minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 mins until thickened and the tomatoes have broken down. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 5 mins less than the pack instructions state, in boiling salted water. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce, adding a splash of water if too thick, and bring to a simmer. Drain the pasta and tip into an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and meatballs and mix well. Stir in most of the mozzarella, then scatter the remaining over the top. Bake for 15-20 mins until the cheese is golden and bubbling, and the top is slightly crisp.

PASTA AL FORNO (BAKED MACARONI)

Steps:

• Mix one cup of the sauce with the cooked macaroni.
• Mix the ricotta with 3/4 cup of grated cheese, parsley and egg.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and the red pepper flakes.
• Layer sauce on the bottom of a deep casserole.
• Add 1/3 of the pasta followed by 1/2 of the ricotta mixture.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella.
• Put down a layer of sauce and repeat.
• Add the final layer of macaroni and top with sauce and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
• Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese on top starts to brown.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the pesto: Put the spinach, basil, nuts, olive oil, Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in some salt and pepper.
• For the pasta: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the shells and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside, making sure to reserve a cup or so of pasta-cooking liquid.
• While the pasta cooks, mix the ricotta with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and some salt and pepper in another small bowl.
• When the pasta is ready, put it in a large bowl and mix in the pesto, tomatoes, and enough reserved cooking liquid to make a sauce. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, dollop with the seasoned ricotta and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until golden and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the sauce: Cover the bottom of a medium saucepan with oil and garlic and cook over medium heat until garlic browns. Add sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
• For the pappardelle pasta: Make a bed of all-purpose flour, then make a well and add eggs. Fold all together, adding in more flour if needed, and knead until a dough ball is formed, then set aside and cover for 30 minutes.
• Run dough through a pasta sheeter to form pappardelle pasta (broad flat noodles).
• For the meatballs: Combine the beef, pork, veal, panko, Parmesan, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl. Mixture should be on the drier side. If need be, add more panko. Form quarter-size meatballs. Heat a medium frying pan with oil and fry each meatball to a golden brown color.
• For the pasta al forno: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add sauce to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, along with the ricotta. Stir together, then add mozzarella and the meatballs. Let the cheese melt down.
• Meanwhile, drop the pasta into boiling salted water for about 7 minutes. Strain and add to the baking dish. Mix around, then bake in oven for 10 minutes.

BAKED PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS (PASTA AL FORNO CON ASPARAGI)

Steps:

• Wash Asparagus.
• Remove any tough stalks and cut into short lengths.
• You may want to split the length in half.
• Melt about 3 tbs of butter in pan and cook the asparagus over a low heat for about 20 min.
• Every so often, add a little chicken stock to keep it moist.
• When the asparagus is done, season to taste.
• While the asparagus is cooking, process the ricotta cheese with the oil.
• Cook the pasta for half the time stated on the package.
• Drain and immediately toss in the remaining butter and half the Parmesan.
• Butter a deep oven dish.
• Make a thin layer of pasta, then one of asparagus, then one of pasta again and then one of ricotta.
• Repeat, finishing with the layer of pasta.
• Beat together the eggs and the remaining cheese and pour over the top.
• Sprinkle with black pepper.
• Bake in a medium oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

BELGIOIOSO FIVE-CHEESE ZITI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to the package directions for al dente; drain., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, ricotta, provolone, Romano and 1 cup mozzarella. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to simmer and cheeses are melted. Stir in cooked pasta; pour mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese., In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and olive oil; sprinkle over pasta., Bake, uncovered, until mixture is bubbly and topping is golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and Parmesan if desired.