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    Grana PadanoPasta

    White Baked Pasta with Grana Padano PDO Béchamel

    Group 393Easy
    Group 3824 people
    T345 min

    Italian culinary tradition offers us many delicious recipes to enjoy with family and friends. If you’ve ever wondered how to make baked pasta, you’re in the right place: today, we propose two recipes for baked macaroni with Grana Padano DPO.
    You can unleash your creativity and choose a different shape of pasta such as pennette, mezze maniche, machearoncini, rigatoni, fusilli, and lots more.
    Let’s see together how to prepare a simple and very tasty baked pasta dish.

    Baked Pasta Recipe

    How to make baked pasta? The baked pasta recipe is simple, just follow the right steps and you’ll have your traditional baked pasta in no time.

    How to make classic baked pasta

    Cooking the original baked pasta is much simpler than you might think. Follow our recipe to discover how to cook baked pasta.

    Ingredients for Baked Pasta
    for 4 people:

    • 320 g macaroni
    • 40 g grated Grana Padano PDO
    • 250 g mozzarella
    • 500 g tomato passata
    • 1/2 onion

    • For the meatballs
    • 30 g grated Grana Padano PDO
    • 200 g beef mince
    • 70 g sausage
    • 40 g breadcrumbs
    • 1 egg
    • Salt to taste

    • For the béchamel sauce
    • 500 ml milk
    • 75 g grated Grana Padano PDO
    • 50 g butter
    • 50 g all-purpose flour
    • Nutmeg to taste
    • Salt to taste

    STEP 1

    Start the preparation of the baked pasta by making the béchamel: melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan, add the flour and mix well, making sure no lumps form.

    STEP 2

    2. Add the room-temperature milk and add salt and nutmeg, continue cooking for 5-6 minutes until the consistency resembles that of a cream. Add grated Grana Padano PDO and continue stirring.

    STEP 3

    Proceed to the second part of the classic baked pasta recipe by preparing the meatballs: remove the sausage meat from the casing and mix it with the beef mince.

    STEP 4

    4. Add grated Grana Padano, breadcrumbs, egg, and a pinch of salt, mix everything, and divide into small meatballs of about 10 grams each.

    STEP 5

    Prepare the sauce by sautéing the onion in extra virgin olive oil, add the passata and a pinch of salt, add the meatballs and let them cook over low heat for about 15 minutes.

    STEP 6

    Continue the baked pasta recipe by cooking the macaroni in plenty of salted water. Wait until halfway through the cooking time and drain.

    STEP 7

    7. Mix the macaroni with the pasta sauce and place everything in an ovenproof dish, alternating layers of pasta with béchamel, diced mozzarella, and grated Grana Padano PDO.

    STEP 8

    Bake the pasta at 180°C in static mode for 15 minutes, finish cooking the red-baked pasta by raising the temperature to 240°C in grill mode. Remove the pasta from the oven, and wait 5 minutes to enjoy one of the most delicious first courses of all: your delicious baked pasta is ready!

    Oven baked pasta

    All you need to know about baked pasta: temperature, preparation, and more.
    Cooking involves two distinct stages, using a saucepan and the oven. It’s crucial to boil the pasta in the saucepan for only half the time indicated on the packet; otherwise, it may become overcooked in the oven, especially when using the grill. The cooking method and duration for your pasta bake in the oven depend on your preferences. Our version is ideal if you prefer that crispy top layer.

    Tips and tricks for the perfect baked pasta

    Baked Pasta: recipe for amazing results. Here we will share with you some tricks to make the perfect baked pasta and reveal which ingredients and methods will give an extra special touch to your oven-baked pasta.

    Let’s begin with the meatballs: do you like parsley? You can add it to the meatball mixture for an enhanced flavour. However, if you prefer basil, we suggest adding it to the tomato sauce. Some baked pasta recipes include hard-boiled eggs, an additional ingredient worth trying.

    Serving and enjoying your pasta bake

    Once your baked pasta is ready, all that’s left to do is serve it. Remember that you can prepare it for a romantic dinner for two just as easily as for 10 people if you have guests for lunch; all you need to do is adjust the quantities according to the number of portions.

    Side dishes you can enjoy with your baked pasta

    Once you’ve mastered preparing baked pasta, all that remains is to enjoy it. It’s a complete dish on its own, so we advise against overwhelming it with additional dishes. Let your pasta bake take centre stage.

    Storing and reheating

    We recommend cutting any leftovers of your pasta bake into portions and storing them in the freezer for no longer than two months. Wondering how to reheat baked pasta? It’s simple: heat it in the oven at 180°C for approximately 20 minutes, ensuring it doesn’t dry out.

    Pasta bake variations

    There are many different baked pasta recipes, you can choose your favourite shape of pasta and add the ingredients you prefer or even add more. The recipe is very versatile and you can prepare it to suit your taste.

    Baked pasta without tomato sauce

    Prefer a version without tomato? Our baked pasta recipe is ideal for those not keen on tomato sauce. It’s a delightful dish that’s visually appealing and worth a try.

    Ingredients to prepare baked pasta with no tomato sauce for 4 people:

    • 320 g rigatoni pasta
    • 50 g Grana Padano PDO
    • 1 leek
    • 1 broccoli head
    • 250 g mixed mushrooms
    • 1 sprig of marjoram
    • Salt to taste
    • Pepper to taste
    • Extra virgin olive oil

    • For the béchamel sauce
    • 1 l milk
    • 150 g Grana Padano PDO
    • 100 g butter
    • 100 g 00 grade flour
    • Nutmeg to taste.
    • Salt

    STEP 1

    The first step when preparing baked pasta is the béchamel sauce: in a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and stir well until you obtain a smooth mixture without lumps.

    STEP 2

    Pour in the milk at room temperature while continuing to stir, add a pinch of salt and some nutmeg and cook over low heat for 5-6 minutes until the sauce becomes creamy. Add the grated Grana Padano PDO and keep stirring.

    STEP 3

    Wash and cut the vegetables, and blanch the broccoli in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain but retain the cooking water.

    STEP 4

    Sweat the leek and add the vegetables, cook on medium heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, boil the rigatoni in the broccoli’s cooking water until al dente.

    STEP 5

    Put the rigatoni into the pan with the vegetables and add the Grana Padano béchamel sauce.

    STEP 6

    Transfer the pasta and vegetables into a baking dish and dust with grated Grana Padano PDO.

    STEP 7

    Bake in the preheated oven at 230° C for 10 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and leave to cool before enjoying your baked pasta.

    Facts and tips

    Would you like to know everything about how to make baked pasta? You are in the right place. Here you will find all the tips to make your perfect pasta bake.

    How long does baked pasta have to cook?

    Baked Pasta: how do you prepare it? Remember that baked pasta is cooked in two stages, so both must be timed correctly. Depending on the type of pasta used, you should boil it for half the time indicated on the packet. As for oven cooking time, we recommend following our recipes because it varies depending on whether you add tomato sauce.

    What are the origins of baked pasta?

    Baked Pasta: original recipe. The recipe for baked rigatoni is very old indeed. Pasta has been eaten in the Italian peninsula since Etruscan times. When the Arabs reached the south around the 9th century, they introduced timbales. Baked pasta derives from the combination of these dishes, a delicious solution that can be prepared with leftovers.

    How do you make softer baked pasta?

    Do you prefer your pasta bake softer? You can boil the pasta in a saucepan for one or two minutes longer, ensuring you don’t reach the cooking time stated on the packet. Another option is to add more sauce or béchamel to your recipe to make your pasta more moist. Lastly, if you prefer not to have a crispy top, we recommend skipping the grill.

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