Baked Pasta, or Imqarrun Il-forn is a popular family dish in Malta.
Every Maltese cook has a recipe for this dish, with slight variations. Some use minced beef, others minced pork and some use half and half. You can use pancetta instead of bacon (or leave it out altogether), cheddar instead of Parmesan, or a mixture of the two.
Served with a mixed salad and maybe some garlic bread, this is aways a crowd pleaser.
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g minced pork, or beef, or half and half
3-4 slices bacon, diced
1 can tomatoes, chopped or 500ml tomato passata
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp each dried oregano and paprika
2 cups water
1 beef stock cube
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
100g grated Parmesan cheese
50g grated cheddar cheese
500g pasta (penne or another shape – I used shell)
In a large heavy-based pan, heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic until soft, but not brown. Add the mince and bacon and cook, stirring, until coloured. Add the tomatoes, oregano, paprika, water, stock cube and bay leaves. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, adding more water as necessary. You don’t want it to be too dry as the pasta will soak up a lot of liquid when it goes in the oven.
Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, then drain. When the meat sauce is ready, mix in the pasta. Mix the two grated cheeses together. Mix the milk, eggs and half the grated cheese with a fork or balloon whisk then add this to the meat and pasta. Scrape into a greased lasagne-type dish. I used two dishes, one of which I froze for another time, so the photo shows just one dish, or half the recipe. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Can be made ahead to this stage.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Bake the pasta for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy on top. Serve with a mixed salad.
Serves 8
