Two things decide baked pasta: boiling the pasta firm and keeping the béchamel pourable. The pasta should come out two minutes short of the packet time, because it goes on cooking in the oven. The béchamel should not look thick in the pan either; the pasta absorbs sauce in the oven and a thick béchamel leaves a dry dish.
Ingredients
For the pasta
For the béchamel
For the top
Method
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Boil the pasta
Boil in plenty of salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet says, then drain.
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Cook the flour
Melt the butter, add the flour and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes, until the raw smell goes.
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Add the milk
Add the warm milk a little at a time, whisking after each addition. No lumps should remain.
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Cook the sauce
Add the spices and cook for 5 minutes, to a consistency that coats the spoon but still flows.
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Combine
Mix the pasta with two thirds of the sauce and transfer to a buttered dish.
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Cover the top
Spread the remaining sauce over and scatter with cheese and breadcrumbs.
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Bake
Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 30 minutes, until the top browns.
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Rest
Take it out and leave for 10 minutes; cut hot, the dish collapses.
Tips
- Do not add cold milk to the béchamel; that is usually the only cause of lumps.
- Do not rinse the pasta in cold water after draining, as the starch goes and the sauce will not cling.
- The breadcrumbs make the crust. With cheese alone the top turns rubbery.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.