More Hearty Pasta
Penne al Forno (Pasta Bake)
Penne al forno is one of those baked pasta dishes that never lets me down. I toss cooked penne with a rich tomato sauce, loads of cheese, and whatever extras I’ve got on hand – sometimes sausage, sometimes spinach – then bake until bubbling and golden. It’s hearty, satisfying, and the kind of dinner that makes the whole house smell like you’ve made something special. I love it for weeknights, leftovers, or feeding a table full of hungry friends.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 aubergine, diced
- 1 courgette, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500g lean beef mince
- 500g passata
- 1 cup beef stock (or broth)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
- 3 bay leaves
- 250g penne, uncooked
- 125g fresh mozarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, before adding the onions and cooking for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
- Next, add the courgette, aubergine and garlic and cook 5-10 minutes over low-medium heat or until the aubergine is completely soft and starting to melt into the onions.
- Add the tomato paste and stir through, cooking an additional minute or so.
- Next, add the beef mince, and cook over medium-high heat or until the mince is cooked through.
- Stir through the passata, beef stock, basil, marjoram and bay leave until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover with a lid, and reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer an additional 30 minutes or until the sauce is rich and thick.
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Cook the pasta in salty water according to packet instructions, reducing the time by 2 minutes - the pasta should not be cooked completely.
- Strain the pasta and then transfer it to the beef sauce and stir through until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with the fresh mozzarella.
- Bake in the hot oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the mozzarella is golden and blistering. Allow to stand for ten minutes prior to serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 369Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 287mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 34g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Penne al Forno recipe
Cosy Weather Time
Is there anything nicer on a lazy weekend than penne al forno? That moment when the cheese bubbles up around the edges, the pasta is golden and crisp on top, and the scent of garlic and tomato fills the kitchen? Heaven. Absolute heaven. My penne al forno recipe is one of those dishes I turn to when I want something that’s hearty, comforting, and makes the house smell like someone’s Italian nonna is visiting. The ragu is rich and full-bodied, the veg adds this sweetness and texture that makes it taste far fancier than it is, and the cheese pulls? Oh yes, they’re worth every bite.
I’ve always said I like recipes that are a bit flexible and forgiving, and this one is just that. I’ve used penne, obviously, but honestly? Whatever you’ve got in the cupboard will do. Fusilli, macaroni, rigatoni. Doesn’t matter – as long as it holds sauce, you’re in business. What makes this version a bit special is the addition of aubergine and courgette. As they cook down, they lend this gorgeous sweetness to the meat sauce and make everything feel a little bit silkier. Especially the aubergine as it simply melts into the ragu. And that’s what you want, right? Something that tastes like it simmered all day but actually didn’t!
With winter settling in (even if the calendar insists it’s still July), this kind of meal just hits different. It makes a huge batch, which I love, because it means dinner is sorted for days (unless Hubby eats it all in one day as he is prone to do – not out of love of the recipe, but because he’s a pig). Or, pop it into the freezer and you’ve got an easy meal ready for some rainy Wednesday night when you can’t be bothered cooking.
A Pasta Bake by Any Other Name
Let’s be real, penne al forno is just pasta bake wearing its shinies shoes. Al forno literally means “to the oven” in Italian, so it’s not some fancy-pants recipe that requires hours of prep or specialty ingredients. It’s honest, simple, and completely satisfying. If you grew up in a household that called it a pasta bake, same. But doesn’t penne al forno sound infinitely more comforting? Like something you’d eat with a glass of wine while a storm rages outside. Which, incidentally, is how I enjoyed mine last week. Storm, wine, blanket. You get the vibe.
You don’t need anything complicated to make it shine either. Just a good sauce, a decent pasta, and a bit of cheese. That’s the foundation, and the rest is personal flair. Add more veg if you’ve got it, or keep it classic. I’ve even made a version before where I snuck in a bit of leftover red wine from a bottle I’d opened the night before (strictly for cooking, of course… ahem). It added this richness that made me feel like I’d made something properly fancy when really, I was just trying not to waste wine. Priorities.
And speaking of proper tools, I’ve finally done it. I bought a stand mixer. Yay, me! After years of putting it off and moaning every time I had to whip cream by hand, I now have a beautiful machine that does the work for me. I’m already mentally planning my Christmas baking schedule. It’s going to be a cake extravaganza in here. No more excuses. If the mixer’s out, I’ve got to bake. So expect a few festive cake recipes popping up soon.
Ingredients Breakdown
The heart of this penne al forno lies in the ragu. I start with lean beef mince for that rich, meaty base, building up the flavour with diced onion, minced garlic, and a good dollop of tomato paste to deepen the colour and taste. Then I add diced aubergine and courgette, which soften beautifully and bring a mellow sweetness that cuts through the richness of the meat. The aubergine especially turns creamy as it cooks, helping the sauce cling to every piece of pasta and giving it that lush, velvety finish.
To that base, I stir in passata and beef stock, with a generous pinch of dried basil and marjoram for warmth and aroma, and a few bay leaves for depth. The penne is added uncooked and baked right into the sauce, so it soaks up all the goodness as it bakes. You could swap the penne for whatever pasta you’ve got on hand, but I love how those little tubes hold all the sauce.
For the topping, I keep it simple with torn pieces of fresh mozzarella that melt into that beautiful, bubbly golden layer. It’s comfort food at its finest, made with pantry staples and a handful of ingredients that come together like they were always meant to be. No need for anything fancy or complicated here. Just real food that hits the spot when you want something cosy and satisfying.
