Pasta al Forno

5 from 1 vote

A rich tomato-based recipe is made with Italian sausage and a speck of fennel seed to make it ping, run through with rigatoni and topped off with melty chewy cheese.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta al forno

Servings:

Author: Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Ingredients

3 bell peppers red, yellow or orange
1 white onion
2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil divided
450g / 1lb pasta such as rigatoni
450g / 1lb Italian sausage casings removed
1 tsp fennel seeds
400g / 14oz This is an affiliate link.canned chopped tomatoes
500ml / 2 cups This is an affiliate link.tomato passata or crushed tomates
4-5 basil leaves sliced or 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
250g / 8oz ricotta cheese
150g / 5oz mozzarella cheese fresh mozzarella balls sliced or shredded mozzarella
2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese grated
Salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 225C/450F. Slice the bell peppers and onions and arrange on a large baking sheet, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of olive oil, toss and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes till slightly charred and cooked all the way through. Take the peppers out of the oven and turn the temperature down to 190C/375F.
Set a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
In a large pan heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, then add the Italian sausages with their casings removed, break up the sausage with a spoon and cook till browned, then add the fennel seeds and cook for 30 seconds longer to toast the seeds, pour in the chopped tomatoes, tomato passata and 1 cup/250ml water. (I usually rinse out the tomato can and dump the water into the pan.)
Add in the basil, oregano and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then cover with a lid, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain the cooked pasta and reserve 1 cup water, add the pasta with the pasta water to the sauce and toss to coat.
Add half of the pasta to a rectangular 9 inch X 13 inch baking dish, then top with a layer of ricotta cheese and a layer of roasted peppers and onions, add the second half of the pasta and top with sliced ball of mozzarella cheese or shredded mozzarella, scatter a few basil leaves all over and finish with a grating of Parmesan cheese all over. Baking in the preheated to 190C/375F oven for 20-23 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the pasta is heated through.

Nutrition