Pasta Alla Formiana

Name: Pasta Alla Formiana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Oil, (for greasing dish); 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes; 1 clove garlic, (coarsely chopped); 1/2 pound (8 ounces) short pasta, (such as Ziti Rigati or Rigatoni); 1/3 cup olive oil, (plus extra for drizzling); 2 tablespoons dried oregano; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 4 to 5 very ripe (extra-large or beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices)

Pasta alla Formiana, from the town of Formia in the coastal Lazio region of Italy (halfway between Naples and Rome), is a dish my aunt Raffy and I had once. The recipe is a surprise - because it doesn't require that the pasta be boiled before baking. Yup, that's right, it goes into the oven raw! I know it sounds crazy, but it works.

The pasta absorbs a flavorful blend of tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and oregano over time, which gives it tons of great flavor. This is a fabulous way to use up a bounty of large, ripe tomatoes - they get incredibly sweet and delicious in the oven.

Pasta Alla Formiana

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Ingredients

Oil, (for greasing dish)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

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1 clove garlic, (coarsely chopped)
1/2 pound (8 ounces) short pasta, (such as Ziti Rigati or Rigatoni)
1/3 cup olive oil, (plus extra for drizzling)

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2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 5 very ripe (extra-large or beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices)

Instructions

Place an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable or olive oil.
In a food processor, blend together the crushed tomatoes and garlic. Add the 1/3 cup olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix until combined.
Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with tomato slices. Pour the tomato mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle in the uncooked pasta, and arrange to ensure each piece of pasta is coated in sauce. Arrange the remaining tomato slices in an overlapping layer on top of the pasta mixture, making sure the mixture is completely covered. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the tomatoes are slightly crispy and the pasta is cooked, about 30 - 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

nut free

vegan

vegetarian

1 comment

Marianne Contino - Jun 09

★★★★★

★★★★★

I admit I was skeptical – raw pasta cooked in the oven??? But the idea of pasta cooking slowly in the fresh tomato sauce made sense so I tried it. Buonissimo! We live in the Garden State with an abundance of fresh tomatoes from my garden and what a perfect dish to use the tomatoes and savor their freshness. The flavor of the sauce totally soaks into the pasta in a way that it cannot do when the pasta is boiled. I used Le Campanelle and did cook it a little longer than 40 minutes. I let it sit for about half an hour before eating and also added some fresh basil. Grazie mille, Giada! La rifaró sicuramente!