Baked Pasta Delights: Easy Recipes for a Cosy Meal
Imagine returning home to the irresistible aroma of cheese and pasta baking in the oven, a scene made even better by a partner handling the washing up. This is the joy of pasta al forno, where the 25-minute baking time allows for tidying up or preparing a salad and wine, resulting in a beautiful, inviting dish and a clean kitchen.
Classic and Innovative Lasagne Variations
The world of baked pasta is vast, with standout recipes like Ann and Franco Taruschio's classic lasagne bolognese, featuring fresh pasta, a rich ragu, and parmesan-enriched bechamel. For dried pasta, adapt by briefly boiling sheets for 30 seconds and making the bechamel slightly more liquid with extra milk. Alternatively, Katie Stewart's recipe via Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall offers a tomato-rich meat sauce tailored for dried pasta.
For a unique twist, Tamal Ray's Sichuan-inspired lasagne combines pork mince, fermented bean ragu, bechamel, and chard, creating a flavourful fusion dish. Vegetarian options abound, such as Meera Sodha's asparagus lasagne with pecorino or her spinach, walnut, and tomato version. Mushroom and taleggio lasagne offers a luscious alternative, while courgette and three-cheese or Thomasina Miers's swiss chard, leek, and ricotta lasagne provide spring-like freshness, with pancetta optional.
Simplified Baked Pasta Methods
To streamline preparation, swap pasta sheets for dried short pasta like macaroni or penne, using the same weight. Cook the pasta for two-thirds of the recommended time, then mix with your chosen sauce, bechamel, vegetables, or cheese. Spoon into a buttered baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and golden.
For a tumble-style dish, try a Neapolitan pasta al forno with meatballs and mozzarella, or a version with peas, cheese, and bechamel. Rukmini Iyer's traybake recipes, such as baked gnocchi with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil or crispy baked gnocchi puttanesca, add further variety. Simple options include Angela Hartnett's macaroni cheese and Meera Sodha's vegan version, or Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick's smoked haddock, pea, and chorizo macaroni cheese.
Weekly Food Highlights and Insights
In other food news, Barbara Pym's Excellent Women offers delightful reading with its focus on food in postwar London, from liver and duck to tea and sandwich cake. For cookbooks, Anna Ansari's Silk Roads: A Flavour Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing provides a culinary journey across Asia, featuring dishes like Iranian lamb stew and Uzbek plov.
The YouTube channel Crazy Korean Cooking, hosted by Grace Park and her parents, is both entertaining and educational, offering lessons on Korean recipes and culture. It has inspired new ways to cook ramen, with kimchi next on the list. For more food inspiration, subscribe to weekly newsletters for regular updates.
