With its tiny ring-shaped pasta, cheesy combination of beef, ham, and peas, and hearty tomato sauce, Anelletti al Forno, or baked anelletti, is hard to resist. This Sicilian baked pasta is easy to make and perfect for feeding a hungry crowd!
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Sicily’s baked pasta
Hailing from Palermo, Sicily, anelletti al forno is the most popular baked pasta in the region; one bite, and you’ll understand why.
It’s packed with flavor from the sauce, ground beef, cheese, and ham, and the ring-shaped anelletti are fun to eat. Some folks will use another Sicilian staple, eggplant, to their anelletti al forno and often the dish is baked with a layer of breadcrumbs. I don’t use eggplant or breadcrumbs for this recipe, but you could certainly include it in yours. You can use my baked eggplant pasta recipe to help with prepping the eggplant.
Many will use anelleti al forno to make timballo, which is made in a cake pan with a hole in the center, but I’m baking mine in a regular baking dish.
While many Americans may recognize anelletti as the shape of pasta that’s used for canned Spaghetti-os, I urge you to cast any negative associations with that aside and enjoy this amazing dish!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Pasta. As the name suggests, the preferred pasta shape is anelletti. You can use other small pastas, though, such as small shells or penne. If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, check out my riso al forno recipe, which has similar ingredients but uses rice instead of pasta.
- Meat. I’m using a combination of ground beef and ham. You can use deli ham or prosciutto cotto. I don’t recommend using prosciutto di Parma as the flavor is too strong for this dish.
- Cheese. Pecorino Romano, caciocavallo, and mozzarella are the three cheeses used in my baked anelletti. If you can’t find caciocavallo, you can use all mozzarella, or you can also sub with scamorza cheese.
- Tomatoes. I like to use passata (tomato puree) for this as well as other baked pastas as it’s great for making a quick sauce.
- Peas. Frozen peas make a great addition to this dish as they add texture, color, and flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make anelletti al forno
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a large pan, cook the onion in olive oil until translucent, then add the beef and cook until browned. Use a meat masher or spoon to break it up.
- Add the grated carrot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds, then add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook until most of the wine evaporates.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the passata. Once the sauce is simmering, turn the heat to low and add the peas. Taste test and season with salt and pepper as needed. Allow the sauce to cook over low heat while you boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Cook the pasta to 3 minutes less than al dente.
- Add 5 cups of sauce to a large bowl and toss with the pasta and chopped ham.
- Place 1/4-inch of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish and add half the pasta on top.
- Top with the mozzarella and caciocavallo followed by half the pecorino.
- Add a layer of sauce, then the remaining pasta. Add another layer of sauce and the remaining pecorino cheese, and place in a 375°F oven.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top. For extra color, place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, but watch carefully to prevent burning. Allow the anelletti al forno to settle for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Top tips
- Cooking the pasta. As with all my baked pasta recipes, I recommend undercooking the pasta since it will continue to cook as it bakes in the oven. Undercooking prevents the anelletti from becoming mushy.
- Let it settle. As tempting as it is to dive right into the baked anelletti, give yourself a good 10-15 minutes or even longer before serving. Allowing the pasta and cheese to settle a bit will make it easier to serve and more enjoyable to eat.
More baked pasta recipes
If you’re looking for more comforting baked pasta recipes, give these a try!
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Anelletti al Forno
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 24-ounce jars passata
- 3 cups frozen peas
- salt and pepper to taste
Remaining ingredients
- 1 pound anelletti can sub penne or ziti
- 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 pound shredded caciocavallo
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1/2 pound ham chopped
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Instructions
For the sauce
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium with the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the beef and cook until browned. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon or meat masher. Add the grated carrot and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add the crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook until most of the wine evaporates then turn the heat down to medium and add the passata. Once the sauce starts simmering, turn the heat to low and mix in the peas.
- Taste test the sauce and season with salt and pepper if required. Leave the sauce over lower heat while boiling the pasta.
Assembling the anelletti al forno
- Preheat oven to 375°F and set the rack to the middle level.
- While the sauce is simmering bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until 3 minutes less than al dente.
- If the sauce is too thick, mix in a 1/2-1 cup of water. Prepare a 9×13" baking dish by placing a 1/4-inch thick layer of sauce on the bottom.
- Place 5 cups of sauce into a large bowl and add the pasta and chopped ham. Mix well.
- Pour half of the pasta into the baking dish. Top with all of the mozzarella and caciocavallo. Sprinkle half of the pecorino on top and spread a layer of sauce. Spread the remaining pasta on top and spread another layer of sauce and the remaining pecorino cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top. For extra color broil for 1-2 more minutes but watch carefully! Wait at least 10-15 minutes before eating so that the pasta settles. Enjoy!
Notes
- Servings. Makes 9 moderate-sized or 6 large portions.
- Boiling the Pasta. Undercook the pasta! Fully boiled pasta will become mushy after baking for another 30 minutes, so shoot for a bit firmer than al dente.
- Extra sauce. There will be a bit of extra sauce. Serve at the table or save for another use.
- Cheese. All mozzarella can be used if you can’t find caciocavallo. Scamorza can be subbed for the caciocavallo.
- Ham. Deli ham or leftover cooked ham will work for this recipe.
- Leftovers. Extra sauce can be saved or served on the side or used for bread dipping. Anelletti al forno can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m italian, but what is passata? Never heard that when my Mom cooked.
It’s strained tomato puree – usually made from tomatoes that have been peeled and seeded. It’s extremely smooth and good for quick sauces. It’s usually sold in bottles.