Italian mac and cheese!
Mac and cheese isn’t originally from Italy but there are many delicious Italian versions of pasta with a cheese sauce, like this cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno. This baked pasta shells recipe is really easy to make and very similar to macaroni cheese recipes in other countries.
Pasta al forno or baked pasta is a staple in most Italian homes on Sundays and holidays. Apart from being delicious, baked pasta is a great way to feed a large number and can often be prepared in advance! The classic Italian pasta al forno is made with a meat ragu, béchamel and cheese. However, there are hundreds of other recipes that fall into the pasta al forno category.
Some baked pasta recipes take a while to prepare, especially if using a meat sauce. Others are pretty simple and fast! This cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno is definitely one of the simpler ways to make baked pasta. But simpler doesn’t mean lacking in taste. This is seriously yummy, cheesy and creamy!
Pasta al forno bianca (white).
This recipe is what Italians call pasta al forno bianca, meaning white baked pasta. In other words, no tomatoes! Many white baked pasta dishes contain meat such as sausage, ground meat or ham, like in this baked ziti al gratin from Naples.
This cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno is meatless and the sauce is really just béchamel with cheese and eggs. So super easy to make! Of course, you could add some ham or sausage to this recipe if you want.
Ingredients.
The béchamel: Béchamel, also known as just white sauce, is made with butter, flour and milk. I made the béchamel sauce myself, but to make this cheesy baked pasta shells even faster you can use a ready-made white sauce.
The cheese: This recipe calls for grated Grana or Parmigiano Reggiano plus Fontina. Fontina is my favourite Italian melting cheese. It comes from the Val d’Aosta and is the cheese Italians use in their version of cheese fondue! So, as you can imagine it melts into a wonderful creamy cheese sauce!
However, if you can’t find fontina, you can use another good melting cheese such as mild provolone, gruyere or gouda! For US readers: apparently the fontina available in US is mostly Danish and is milder than Italian fontina! But it still melts well.
The pasta:
For this baked pasta shells recipe I used dried conchiglie made with eggs. Conchiglie are middle sized pasta shells.
Large pasta shells which are usually filled and baked are called conchiglione or lumaconi. Then there are very small pasta shells, conchigliette, which are great in soups! You can read more about these different pasta shells if you click here!
Conchiglie are a great choice for this cheesy baked pasta as the shells get filled with the sauce, making every mouthful super delicious! But, if you want to use a different type of pasta, then I’d recommend pasta tubes like mezze maniche or penne.
Baking and serving your cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno.
It’s traditional to make baked pasta in a rectangular oven dish. But, this time round I had guests coming for lunch, so I decided to bake and serve this pasta al forno bianca in individual terracotta oven dishes. I got these dishes a while back when I bought and cooked jumbo pasta shells called caccavelle.
Those shells are said to be the biggest pasta in the world and each terracotta pot only takes one pasta shell. My guests loved their individual portions and am sure yours will too if you do the same. Otherwise just use a normal oven dish. Whichever way you serve this cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno, everyone will love it!
Step by step instructions.
As I mentioned above, this is a very easy recipe.
All you need to do is first make the béchamel if you aren’t using ready made. Then grate the cheese.
Next, mix eggs and some of the Grana or Parmigiano into the béchamel along with some salt and pepper to taste.
Then cook the pasta in boiling salted water, drain it and add it to the sauce. Mix together well.
Finally, fill the oven dishes or dish with the pasta, sauce and cheese as explained in the recipe instructions below. Then baked until the top layer is a little browned and cripy.
Serve while hot!
What to do with leftovers.
If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat leftovers use the oven or a microwave. However, leftovers will be drier than when this dish is first made.
Is this recipe vegetarian?
Italian Grana, Parmigiano and Fontina are made with animal rennet. So, they are not vegetarian. However, you can find versions of these cheeses made with vegetable rennet if you want to make a vegetarian version. Ask your cheesemonger.
Let me know what you think.
If you do try this cheesy conchiglie pasta shells al forno, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon Appetito!
Other great baked pasta recipes on The Pasta Project
- Classic pasta al Forno
- Baked conchiglione with spinach and ricotta
- Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
- Caccavelle alla Sorrentina
- Baked Tuscan gnudi (malfatti)
- Tagliolini au gratin with ham and cream
Save this recipe for later?
If you want to save this recipe for later, you can print it, bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.
Cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno (baked pasta shells).
This delicious Italian baked pasta shells recipe is made with bechamel sauce, fontina and grated grana! This Italian mac and cheese is so creamy and cheesy and easy to make! Perfect for weeknights and entertaining.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces pasta shells conchiglie
- 6 ounces fontina cheese grated or vegetarian melting cheese
- 3.5 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano or grana grated or vegetarian hard cheese
- 2 eggs
- 17 ounces béchamel (white sauce) if using ready made
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
- butter as required
If making your own béchamel
- 3.5 ounces butter
- 3.5 ounces all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 pints milk
Instructions
Homemade white sauce (béchamel)
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In a saucepan let the butter melt over a moderate flame. Add the flour a little at a time, stir carefully and make sure any lumps of flour dissolve until you have a smooth roux. Then pour in the milk a little at a time, continuing to stir until it starts to thicken. Add a pinch of salt. Continuing stirring until the béchamel is thick enough. If it gets too thick you can add more milk. Set aside and allow to cool.
Cook the pasta
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Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta a little less than al dente, according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is ready, drain and rinse under cold running water so that it doesn’t continue cooking.
Finish the dish
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Put the cooled (or ready made) béchamel in a bowl with the eggs and ⅓ of Parmigiano Reggiano/grana, add salt, pepper and mix with a whisk. Add the cooked pasta shells to the bowl and mix gently.
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Coarsely grate the fontina; butter your oven dishes/dish and make a layer of the pasta with sauce in the bottom. Cover with grated fontina and add another layer of pasta and then fontina. When you have used up all the pasta and fontina, cover the top with the remaining grana or Parmigiano. Add a few flakes of butter to the top.
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Bake at 180 ° C (356°F) for 25 minutes, until a golden crust has formed on the surface of the pasta. Serve immediately while the sauce is creamy.
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Notes
If you can’t find fontina, you can use another good melting cheese such as mild provolone, gruyere or gouda! For US readers: apparently the fontina available in US is mostly Danish and is milder than Italian fontina!
To make this recipe vegetarian replace the Parmigiano or grana and the Fontina with a vegetarian cheeses as the former are made with animal rennet. Vegetarian versions are available on the market.
Nutrition
Calories: 735kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 39gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 821mgPotassium: 482mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 896IUCalcium: 709mgIron: 2mg
If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools? All great prezzies for pasta lovers!
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