Cooking Lasagna and Baked Pastas in Your Wood-fired Oven

July 29 saw the annual foodie celebration of National Lasagna Day taking place across the world, but how many wood-fired oven owners thought of cooking up a bubbling lasagna in their pizza oven?  How many pizza oven owners are even capable of doing that in their oven?  The answer is probably fewer than you think.

Many woodfired oven owners have only ever focused on cooking pizza outdoors, which means they are missing out on some fantastic culinary treats.  But others are totally restricted to cooking pizza, because the dimensions of their oven are just not conducive to anything else.  And, dare we say it, many ovens are incapable of cooking other dishes for another major reason; their cooking performance is not sufficient to produce anything other than pizza in a half-decent way.

The Valoriani pizza oven difference

When you buy a Valoriani wood-fired oven, you side-step all of these issues.  What you actually purchase is an oven that has been used at the heart of Italian family life for generations, cooking absolutely everything that the family wanted to see on the menu.  Whatever ‘nonna’ could rustle up in her repertoire that could be baked or roasted or grilled – or even boiled in a pan - was often cooked in the oven.   

So what has resulted is an oven that is multi-talented when it comes to cooking a wide variety of dishes, including lasagna.  Pasta al forno is an absolute staple of Italian homes and the ‘forno’ in which it is cooked has not traditionally been one with knobs and controls but one in which the cooking power was provided by a wood fire.

The joy of baked pasta outdoors

There are great advantages to creating your baked pasta dishes in a wood-fired oven. Whether you're layering up a rich lasagna, or folding penne into a creamy béchamel, the intense heat and very even cooking of a wood-fired oven brings out flavours and textures that a conventional oven simply cannot replicate.

Cooking by real flame creates an in-oven environment that crisps up cheese toppings to perfection, caramelises the edge of dishes, and delivers subtle and smoky notes with each and every forkful.  You can cook your pasta dishes on the way up to the heat at which you want to be cooking pizza (232°C/450°F), or on the way down.  There’s nothing like watching the bubbling of a pasta bake to whet the appetite.  

Delicious pasta dishes to make in your wood-fired oven1. Wood-Fired Lasagna al Forno

Let’s start with the queen of all baked pasta: lasagna. Rich ragù, creamy béchamel, pasta sheets, and a bubbling mozzarella topping.  After all, what’s not to love?

In a wood-fired oven, lasagna takes on a whole new character; the top crisps up beautifully while the edges develop that irresistible golden crust.  Did you know that the favourite part of the family lasagna for Michelin star chef, Massimo Bottura, was the corner piece – that lovely crisp edge with a texture to die for? 

You can prepare your traditional Italian lasagna in either an enamel or cast-iron dish, then slide it into the oven as the heat starts to mellow (ideally around 200–220°C). 

 Try this classic lasagna al forno recipe

2. Pasta al Forno with Sausage and Ricotta

Looking for something with a bit of a twist? Pasta al forno, served with sausage and ricotta, is hearty, rustic, and perfect for feeding a larger gathering of friends and family.  Use rigatoni or penne as your pasta choice, mix with a tomato-based sausage sauce, dollop in some fresh ricotta, and top with parmesan or mozzarella before baking.

Slip it into your oven once the flames have died down and the temperature has dropped slightly (around 180–200°C). Within 20–30 minutes, you’ll have a bubbling tray of Italian comfort food.

Here’s a sausage and ricotta pasta bake recipe to try

3. Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Don’t forget that baked pasta works wonderfully with vegetarian dishes too.  Ziti may be a less familiar pasta in the UK but, if you can get it, baked ziti with roasted vegetables, tomato sauce, and plenty of cheese is another winner. The key is pre-roasting the vegetable components, such as aubergine, courgette, and peppers, in the wood-fired oven, before assembling your dish on your outdoor table or indoor kitchen counter.  You then simply return it to the oven to bake.

This two-step process makes the most of your oven’s heat cycle and brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetables.

 Get the baked ziti recipe here

Tips for cooking pasta in a wood-fired oven●      Timing Is Everything: Pasta bakes should be placed in the oven after the initial pizza-cooking fire has subsided, typically when the temperature is around 180–250°C.  But, you could also cook them pre-pizza, as the temperature is on the way up!

●      Use the Right Cookware: Heavy-duty pans like cast iron or terracotta dishes distribute heat well and hold up beautifully to the oven's intense conditions.  Just make sure you treat your cast iron dishes in the recommended way.

●      Rotate Often: Keep an eye on your dish and rotate it every 5–10 minutes for even browning.  You don’t want the flames to only ‘love’ one side of the dish.

●      Batch Cooking: While the oven's hot, why not cook two or three different pasta bakes at once and freeze extra portions or dishes for later use?

Versatile, authentic wood-fired ovensAt Orchard Ovens, we pride ourselves on bringing the essence of true, authentic Italian cooking to UK gardens and homes. Our wood-fired ovens are more than just pizza ovens, they're a celebration of fire, flavour, and the joy of sharing food with loved ones.  From roasting meats to baking bread, and yes, crafting unforgettable pasta dishes, your Orchard Ovens-supplied Valoriani oven from Tuscany can do it all.

So, remember that National Lasagna Day is once a year, but you can created bubbling baked pasta dishes in your Valoriani oven all year round.  What could be better than a hearty lasagna on a cooler August evening, or atmospheric Bonfire Night?

Ready to Expand Your Wood-Fired Repertoire?

If all this sounds tempting, and you don’t yet own a wood-fired oven (or a ‘proper’ wood-fired oven), get in touch with the Orchard Ovens team, who will be happy to help you start or improve your wood-fired oven journey.

Buon appetito!

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Editors notes

Orchard Ovens is the domestic and commercial pizza oven supplier in the UK of Valoriani, based in Reggello, Tuscany - the manufacturer of Italy's hugely respected Valoriani pizza ovens, known as the Maserati of pizza ovens and the kings of clay. These ovens are made from superb refractory clay - cotto clay - found in the family's quarry and unique, thanks to having just the right alumina. This allows Valoriani ovens to heat up quickly and retain heat superbly, bring huge advantages to homeowners, as well as restaurant owners, hotels, pubs, mobile caterers, pizzerias, takeaways and more.

Orchard Ovens supplies some of Britain's best-known restaurants and chefs, whilst it is also a specialist creator of outdoor kitchens and wood-fired oven builds for the rich and famous, as well as everyday homeowners wishing to add value to their home and enjoy an outdoor lifestyle to the full.