Imqarrun il-forn (Maltese baked pasta)

This recipe has such a strong emotional response for me.

In Malta, This traditional recipe can be found in every home and every corner bakery. Such a common recipe inevitably has many variations. This one is my Dad's!

In Australia during the 1970s, our food vocabulary for dishes from outside Britain was fairly limited. Most Aussies referred to any type of pasta simply as "spaghetti"—often sourced from a tin. My Australian family was no different. So, when Dad first served this dish at a family meal, there was a lot of apprehension from the guests. Within the family, the dish became known as "baked spaghetti." Everyone was quickly won over by the crunchy top. My Uncle Andy and Aunt Carol even learnt to hang around the kitchen at serving time, just to snaffle the best bits before they made it to the table. :) In fact, it took immense willpower while filming this dish not to snatch a crunchy piece before we'd finished taking photos!

In my family, we like the top of the pasta extra crunchy and almost burnt like. However this isn’t burnt, don’t be fooled! Although, you have to be careful and not actually burn it.

I have used a combination of beef and pork mince. Many Maltese use canned corn beef. This is probably an effect of WWII when bully beef or corned beef in tins was the main available source of meat other than rabbits. Dad's version uses beaten eggs, but some of my Maltese family use hard boiled eggs chopped up through the dish. I prefer the creamy texture the beaten eggs add to the sauce.

Now let's discuss the pasta. Dad always used Bucatini. Bucatini is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the centre. This pasta is not so easy to find in Australia, and certainly not the gluten-free variety. Both penne and rigatoni are good substitutes - the sauce can fill the tubes and the ridges. Dried pasta is best - I have tried using my homemade penne but the pasta is too soft and didn't hold up to the twice cooking methods used. I use Barilla gluten-free penne - it is robust and even holds its shape when leftovers are reheated.

This recipe can easily be converted to another famous Maltese dish, Timpana, by placing the filling inside a pie crust. Personally, I prefer the crunchy top.

For all the tips on making this dish, watch my video in the link below the recipe.

Recipe

Serves 4

• Olive oil

• 250 g pork mince

• 250 g beef mince

• 1 brown onion diced

• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped

• 2 tbl tomato paste (Maltese kunserva)

• 1 400 g can crushed tomatoes (or 300 ml passata)

• 1 tsp sugar

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tsp mixed dried herbs

• 2 large eggs lightly beaten

• Salt and pepper

• 1 cup grated tasty cheese

• 200 g grated parmesan

• 500 g penne/rigatoni pasta

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the onion for a few minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and let cook for another minute.

Add the mixed herbs and the tomato paste and let it cook for about 3 minutes.

Once the base is ready, add the combined minced meat, and let cook for a few minutes until you get a nice brown colour. Season with salt and pepper.

Lastly, add the crushed tomatoes, a can full of water and bay leaves. Bring to a light boil.

Once you bring it to a boil, cover the pot and let it simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring it occasionally so that the meat doesn't get stuck to the bottom.

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Whilst the sauce is simmering, bring to a boil a pot filled with salted water. Once it starts to boil add the pasta and cook for a minute or two less than as instructed on the package. The pasta needs to be al dente. Strain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Once the sauce is done, don't forget to discard the bay leaves.

Spoon a little of the sauce onto the bottom of a baking dish. This helps stop the pasta from sticking.

Turn the heat off under the sauce and then add the beaten eggs stirring gently to distribute the eggs without leaving white streaks through the sauce.

In a small bowl mix the two cheeses.

Add the sauce to the pasta along with a large handful of the cheese and mix gently to make sure all of the pasta is covered with sauce.

Place the mixed pasta in the baking dish and gently press it down to pack it in. Cover the top layer with the grated cheese and sprinkle extra black pepper on top.

Bake the pasta dish on the middle rack of your oven for about 45 minutes. 

Once ready, let it rest for a few minutes before slicing, so that the pasta bake solidifies and is easier to serve.

Updated October 2023