Pasta al forno in Béchamel sauce

It is one of our favorite baked pasta dishes. It is very simple and you can play around and create several variants by just changing a few ingredients. This dish is like money in the bank — you can eat it the same night or deposit it in the freezer. When withdrawn the next day, the taste surely has added interests.

I added boiled shredded chicken along with some sweet corn, tomatoes and olives. You can also use sausages or lamb or simply boiled eggs to change the taste. What makes this dish creamy, cheesy and unforgettable, is the Béchamel sauce (or white sauce). Make sure to patiently deal with the sauce making process, as the consistency of this sauce can easily go for a toss.

Preparing the Pasta

I used regular elbows (Gomito) for the dish; you can use penne, ditali, ziti, mostaccioli, etc.

Add water, oil and salt in a container. Heat it for a minute on high flame. Add pasta to it and heat it for 10 minutes on medium flame (or till tender). After boiling, separate out the pasta and wash with cold water and keep aside.

Béchamel Sauce Ingredients

Butter — 2 tbsp

All purpose flour — 2 tbsp

Milk — 1 cup

Salt

All purpose seasoning (I used oregano seasoning)

Making the Béchamel sauce

In a heavy bottom saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Blend 2 tablespoons of flour into the melted butter. Add salt to taste. Cook over low heat stirring continuously for 4 to 5 minutes till flour starts to change color. Slowly add 1 cup of milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking slowly until smooth and thickened.

Other Ingredients

Boiled and shredded chicken — 1 cup

Boiled sweet corn — ½ Cup

Fresh tomatoes — 2

Olives — ½ Cup

Regular Cheddar Cheese — 1/3 Cup

Mozzarella Cheese — 1/3 Cup

Plating and Baking the Dish

Place one layer of the cooked pasta in a greased glass baking bowl. Top it up with shredded chicken, sweet corn and some cheese. Place the remaining pasta to create another layer. Add the white sauce on top. Add the remaining cheese mix on top and line the tomatoes and olives over the cheese. Add seasoning and pepper if desired.

Place the pasta bowl in the pre-heated oven and bake it for about 20 minutes on 180 degree (Celsius).

If you have any favorite and different pasta dish (or any other dish), please post it in the comments section. I’m always looking for more ideas.