Pasta al Forno Semplice

A quick weeknight baked pasta — dry pasta, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano. No béchamel, no ragù. Ready in 45 minutes and fully costed.

Serves: 4Prep: 15 minCook: 30 minTotal: 45 minDifficulty: EasyCuisine: Italian
→ Calculate ingredient cost for this recipePrices are editorial estimates (Q1 2025). Confidence rating shown after calculation.

Pasta al Forno Semplice

This is the simplified weeknight version of pasta al forno — baked pasta with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano. It does not include ragù, béchamel, or hard-boiled eggs. Those additions define the elaborate Sicilian and Neapolitan versions; this recipe is what you make on a Tuesday with pantry and fridge staples.

Active time is 15 minutes. The oven does the rest.

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 320g dry pasta (rigatoni, penne, or mezze maniche)
  • 400g canned peeled tomatoes
  • 150g fior di latte mozzarella, drained and torn into pieces
  • 50g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, finely grated
  • 25ml extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Make the tomato base Heat the olive oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the canned tomatoes and crush them by hand. Season with salt. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

2. Parboil the pasta Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for exactly half of its indicated cooking time — it will finish in the oven. Drain and reserve 100ml of pasta water.

3. Combine Preheat oven to 200°C. In a large baking dish, toss the parboiled pasta with the tomato sauce. Add the reserved pasta water. The mixture should be slightly looser than you want the final result — the oven will concentrate it. Distribute the torn mozzarella evenly across the top. Finish with the grated Parmigiano.

4. Bake Bake uncovered at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until the surface is golden, the cheese has melted and browned in places, and the edges are pulling away from the dish. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Parboiling to half-cooking time is the critical step. Fully cooked pasta turns soft and loses texture when baked a second time; undercooked pasta absorbs the tomato sauce in the oven and reaches the correct al dente finish at the end. The pasta water added to the baking dish compensates for the moisture absorbed during baking.

Mozzarella must be thoroughly drained before use. Excess moisture steams the pasta rather than crisping it. Pat the torn pieces dry with kitchen paper.

Cost Context

At Italian supermarket prices (Q1 2025), total ingredient cost for 4 servings is approximately €4.20 — roughly €1.05 per serving. Mozzarella (€1.80) and Parmigiano Reggiano (€0.88) together represent approximately 64% of total cost. Compare to pasta al pomodoro at €0.38/serving — the mozzarella and Parmigiano are the price premium of the baked version.

Use the Recipe Cost Calculator to see the full itemised breakdown.