I’ve got a lot on my plate with the holidays approaching, but I wouldn’t be doing my sworn duty as a food blogger if I neglected to give you the recipe for this extra cozy, very Winter-appropriate pasta al forno (or rather: baked pasta).

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? I’ve told you all about the splendid year I spent living in Bologna, Italy as a University student, where I first experienced all the happenings that I now take for granted in my day to day life (back then, however, they were fascinating). I learned that Italian breakfast consisted of just a cappuccino and a pastry called a brioche; I discovered that Italians shied away from air conditioning, certain that a jet of cold air would cause a cold, or worse; I found that flip flops were frowned upon as footwear, unless worn at the beach; smoking cigarettes was, surprisingly, quite common. Best of all: I became educated on bolognese delicacies that are tortellini, piadine, and my #1 favorite dish, even all these years later: lasagne alla bolognese.

I first made lasagne alla bolognese at a semester-long cooking course I enrolled in, and man, did I (do I) love it. In one of my first lessons, I was taught how to mix, knead, and roll out the egg pasta dough, half of which was made a festive green with the addition of cooked spinach. I learned about the rich and complex ragù alla bolognese, made with three different kinds of meat, plus milk and tomato. We were instructed on the preparation of a smooth and creamy béchamel, plus the eventual assembling of the dish, which meant cutting and cooking each individual sheet of pasta, allowing them to cool, and layering them with the afore-mentioned ingredients. As you may have noticed, an authentic, Bolognese style lasagne requires time and effort but I loved (I love!) every step of the process. It made me feel a bit like a magician, to start with flour and eggs, raw meat and tomato, and end up with such a luxurious, special dish.

But not everyone is me.

You’re not looking for a lengthy, project sort of recipe this time of year, are you? I get it! I do! Therefore: I give you this pasta al forno con ragù e besciamella, my take on a sort of shortcut lasagna alla bolognese for those of you less enthusiastic about lengthy, multistep recipes. All the elements of the classic dish are present – ragù, béchamel, Parmesan – but the ragù is streamlined, the pasta is dried and store-bought, and there is no boiling of individual sheets of pasta or layering of ingredients. The result is a pan of pasta that emerges from the oven bubbling cheerfully, dressed to the nines in a meaty, saucy ragù and embellished with a crown of golden-brown, Parmesan-rich béchamel. It’s a joy to dig in to (how could it not be?!), and is also a perfect low-key primo for your Christmas meal this year, if you’re cooking for a smaller group. Much like this mushroom gorgonzola galette, it fits snugly into Venn Diagram intersection that unites Comfort Food and Fancy Enough for Company.

I’ll be back after Christmas with the very last recipe of 2022 – have a lovely holiday, everyone!

A couple of notes: Feel free to use whatever short cut of pasta you want here — I opted for the pasta shape mafalda corta, as I liked how it imitated the ruffly edges you find in some storebought lasagne sheets, but rigatoni, fusilli, or shells would also be nice here. White wine also works fine in the sauce if you are out of red. You can also make the sauce a day or so in advance - it will taste even better as it develops more flavor in the fridge. Fun fact: what is lasagna in English is actually lasagna (with an “e”) in Italian, or rather a feminine, plural word. Pasta names in Italian are always in the plural (example: gli spaghetti, le penne) with the assumption being that of course you eat more than piece of the pasta shape.

Looking for other recipes for pasta dishes? I have lots and lots! Click here.
For more on my adventures in Bologna, check out this post here and this one here.

PASTA AL FORNO CON RAGU’ E BESCIAMELLA

Serves 6.

Ingredients for the ragù:
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small yellow onion, peeled chopped
1 lb (448 grams) ground beef
1 cup (240mL) red wine
3 1/2 cups (827mL) crushed tomatoes (passata if you’re in Italy)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for béchamel:
2.5 tablespoons (35 grams) unsalted butter
2.5 tablespoons (20 grams) of flour
2.5 cups (360 mL) whole milk
A pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
1 lb short pasta of your choice
2 ounces (55 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.) Add a few tablespoons of olive oil in to a large pot over medium heat, and sauté the carrot, celery, and onion until softened but not browned. Season the veggies with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

2.) Add the beef and cook, breaking the meat up as much as you can with a wooden spoon until lightly browned. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a good amount of pepper. Add the wine to the pot and let it cook down and evaporate for 10 or so minutes. Next, lower the heat on the stove and add the crushed tomatoes. Bring the ragù to a bubble, then reduce the heat cook until sauce is thickened, about 40 minutes, stirring to make sure the sauce doesn’t cook too much on the bottom. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Let the sauce cool slightly.

3.) Adjust oven rack to middle position; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta of your choice in generously salted water until it is approaching al dente, but not quite cooked through - it will continue cooking in the oven. Reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water, and then drain the pasta.

4.) While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk the flour. Let the flour and butter cook for a minute or so, then whisk in the milk and bring it to a bubble. Let the milk mixture cook a few minutes more, whisking, until the béchamel is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Turn off the heat.

5.) Stir the cooked pasta and the ragu' together, adding of the reserved pasta water to loosen up the sauce as needed, until the sauce is smooth and coats the pasta uniformly. Pour the pasta into a buttered 10x10 inch baking pan. Pour the bechamel over the pasta to coat well, and then sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake the pasta for 15 or so minutes, and then set the oven to boil. Move the oven rack up slightly and broil the pasta until the bechamel/Parmesan is brown and bubbling. Let cool slightly and serve immediately.