Pasta Al Forno

This really is a simple dish, the poor man's lasagna they say. It's a hit with whomever I serve it to and makes a great dish to serve at a potluck, or if you  have more than 6 for dinner. The recipe I have created for this is a combo from my italian neighbour and the ever so charming Jamie Oliver.
The neighbour makes a very simple dish and Jamie tends to dress it up a bit, (He cooks down fresh tomatoes, something I only have time for on a weekend.) I tried something in between.
In the summer when I have my own tomatoes growing, I would subsitute the canned toms with fresh because I think it would add a real spark of flavour.

Pasta Al Forno

1 Pkg Penne or favorite pasta
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp or more dried chilis (optional)
Splash of red wine or red wine vinegar
fresh oregano (chopped about 2 tsp)
1 Jar good Tomato Sauce
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
5-6 large balls of Boconcini cut into thirds
fresh basil (a good handful)
Parmesan (plenty of it)
Olive Oil (2 tbl sp.)
Salt and Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook down your onions, chilis and garlic until golden in 1 tblsp of olive oil, add oregano and bit of salt and saute about 1 minute more. Add tomatoes and sauce and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes and adjust seasoning to taste. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook al dente. Use the remaining oil to grease a baking pan, drain pasta and add some to the pan, top with sauce, a handful of parmesan, some of the boconcini and some of the basil leaves torn into pieces. Repeat this process until you are out of ingredients. Bake in the oven about 15 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Serve with some good italian bread and mixed greens. Delicious!

Enjoy!