Pasta Al Forno falls into the category of comfort food.  Another simple yet yummy dish.  It is also a good leftover since it warms over well in the oven.    Once again, there are many versions of Pasta Al Forno.  This is our light version.  I sometimes make it with a ragu which is heartier. 

Get the best ingredients possible.  I recommend organic tomatoes with low sodium.  Some canned tomatoes can have a surprising amount of sodium in them.  We’re lucky that Luca’s mother, Dora, canned a bunch of tomatoes last summer.    She and Luca’s sister, Francesca, spent three days canning tomatoes.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), I wasn’t able to help since we were away on vacation.    Apparently, a farmer generally comes and gives her the canning tomatoes.   (The south of Italy is where the canned tomatoes in your supermarket come from.)      Dora and Francesca can the tomatoes outside because canning tomatoes in August is **bleeping** hot.  I can attest to this from my days of canning in our little kitchen in Connecticut.   It’s like a steamroom.  Needless to say, we appreciate their efforts every time we open a lovely glass jar of tomatoes.    

A little jar of sunshine

Ingredients:

I’m not very specific about the amounts.   Do it to your preference and size of your baking dish.  You really can’t mess this up. 

1 lb or less of ground meat

24 oz can of diced tomatoes

Mozzarella – We use a ball of  “scamorza” which is a drier, harder version of fresh mozzarella.  Do your best to substitute!

About a bag or box of Pasta – Recommend rigatoni or mezza rigatoni.  Yes, the type of pasta you use matters!

Piece of Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano – Don’t get pre-grated.  Freshly grated is better and improves muscle tone.

Directions:

1)      Boil your pasta half of the recommended time on the package with a 1-2 teaspoons of salt.    Drain and set aside

2)      Brown meat just until meat turns from red to brown.

Brown the meat

3)      Prepare your cheeses

           a)      Chop scamorza

           b)      Grate parmigiano

Prepare the cheese

4)      Prepare your tomato sauce

           a)      I simply cook it for a short time with a little salt, pepper and fresh basil if I have it. 

Prepare the sauce

5)      Combine pasta, ground meat, cheese

Mix the ingredients

6)      Put in baking dish

Put it in the baking dish

7)      Grate more parmigiano on top

8)      Cover with foil  and cook for 30 minutes at 375⁰F.  Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes.

9)      Enjoy!