Pasta al forno — oven-baked pasta with tomato sauce, minced meat and cheese

Pasta al forno, known in Calabria also as “pasta china”, is one of the most beloved dishes of Italian cuisine: short pasta mixed with a rich tomato and minced-meat sauce, layered in a baking dish with slices of boiled egg and mozzarella, and baked in the oven until the surface takes on a golden, crispy crust. It is the family Sunday dish of southern Italy — warm, tasty and perfect to be served at the table straight from the dish.

Ingredients (for 6 people)

• 500 g penne or rigatoni
• 400 g minced beef
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 800 g crushed tomatoes (passata)
• 3 eggs
• 250 g mozzarella
• 80 g grated Parmesan
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• fresh basil

Preparation steps

1. Prepare the sauce: fry the finely chopped onion and garlic in a little olive oil for 2–3 minutes. Add the minced meat, salt and black pepper, and fry for 5–6 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato passata and a few basil leaves, and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes.
2. Boil the eggs for 8–9 minutes, cool them in cold water, peel them and cut them into slices. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes.
3. Cook the pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the time stated on the packet (very al dente — it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain it and mix it immediately with the hot sauce.
4. Heat the oven to 200°C. Grease a large baking dish with olive oil. Lay out half of the pasta, arrange the egg slices and mozzarella cubes on top, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover with the rest of the pasta, pour over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and remaining Parmesan.
5. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the surface turns golden and becomes crispy. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes before serving — this way the layers hold better on the plate.

Time and servings: Preparation about 40 minutes; baking 20–25 minutes. Enough for 6 people as a main course.

Tip: for the more traditional Calabrian variant, add small fried meatballs (polpettine) between the layers; for a lighter version, replace the minced meat with fried mushrooms.