The only dish better than pasta is a pasta bake. That’s my firm belief, closely related to the one that everything is better with cheese, preferably melted.
The ultimate pasta bake is lasagne, and it can be divine, with the bechamel and the meat sauce both made from scratch. But this collection is not about spending the whole morning simmering sauces and lovingly layering pasta sheets. This is about easy, reasonably quick and extremely rewarding food.
For starters, a dish that doesn’t need a long bake in the oven but just a quick blast under the grill to get some crispy Parmesan action. You can use any chunky pasta shape, and either bacon or pancetta. It is not carbonara but it’s incredibly gorgeous.
This, again, is not quite a carbonara as you know it but a riff on the theme. Tagliatelle are twirled into nests and baked into a crispy, golden cake studded with green peas, which you can cut into wedges like pizza. Maybe not the most orthodox pasta dish but irresistibly tasty.
It's the roasted garlic that makes this recipe: baked in the skins and squashed out into a paste to coat the pasta. And the courgettes roasted in ribbons with the garlic, stirred into pasta with lots of interesting herbs are super-tasty. The best thing to do with courgettes? Bake them with pasta!
Herby courgette pasta bake
RECIPE
Baked ziti, penne or rigatoni with bacon and roasted aubergine: it does not drown in cheese or tomato sauce, and it is not a million calories like your usual pasta bake. Roasted and mashed aubergine flesh provides the sauce and the pasta goes into the oven for the crunchy and crispy edges.
There are three cheeses in the dish: mascarpone mixed into the sauce, Parmesan sprinkled on top and mozzarella in the body of the pasta. If you're lucky to get some asiago, taleggio or fontina, the experience will get even better. Leeks and mushrooms are cooked together, then mixed into penne with the cheeses. It's easy, it's cheesy; it's veggie, it's crispy - it's an ultimate comfort pasta bake.
Penne baked with leeks and mushrooms
RECIPE
A bag of spinach, some frozen cooked prawns and a great supper dish is on its way. It’s a little like a baked shrimp alfredo (which apparently is a thing) with spinach. Pick large pasta shapes for it, like conchiglie, penne or rigatoni.
Provolone pasta bake with homemade tomato marinara sauce: I swear this is a dish whose flavour can knock your socks off, and in a good way. If you ever wondered how to make tomato pasta taste unbelievably good, this is your chance. Also, provolone is the best melting cheese for pasta al forno dishes so stock up if you find it in the shops. Cheese can be frozen, don’t forget.
Aubergine and tomato pasta bake with mozzarella. Pasta - fusilli. Tomato sauce - from scratch. Aubergine - lightly fried. The bubbling cheese, the scorched fusilli, there surely isn't a more comforting dinner than pasta straight from the oven.
Tomato and aubergine pasta bake
RECIPE
And the best for last: pasta that doesn’t need to be precooked, but mixed dry with the sauce ingredients and baked. Orzo is that magic pasta type and baked orzo with mushrooms and pancetta is one of the loveliest dishes. It’s creamy like risotto – no wonder since orzo is pasta in the shape of rice.
Orzo with mushrooms and pancetta
RECIPE
One more orzo recipe to the kitty: oven baked creamy orzo with wild chanterelle mushroom topping. If you can’t get chanterelles, don’t fret: go for a woodland/exotic mix, or use a combination of shiitake, oyster and chestnut mushrooms. This is a wonderful vegetarian main course or a luxurious side for Italian chicken or veal.
Creamy orzo with chanterelles
RECIPE