Baked Pasta

Several different shapes of pasta are ideal for baking and many commercial eggless pastas are made specifically for this purpose. The most common in Italy is lasagne, but other favorites for baking are the tube-shaped ziti (little bridegrooms) and penne and large pasta such as rigatoni and cannelloni for stuffing. Before baking, pasta is usually boiled until just al dente, since it will cook further in the oven.

Many sauces can be used in baked pasta dishes. Italian meat sauce (ragù bolognese) and French béchamel are traditional for lasagne, where they are used in the layers to coat the pasta and provide a topping. In other baked dishes, pasta and sauce are tossed to mix before spreading in the baking dish with meat or vegetables.