Italian mac and cheese!
Mac and cheese isn’t originally from Italy but there are many delicious Italian versions of pasta with a cheese sauce, like this cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno. This baked pasta shells recipe is really easy to make and very similar to macaroni cheese recipes in other countries.

Pasta al forno or baked pasta is a staple in most Italian homes on Sundays and holidays. Apart from being delicious, baked pasta is a great way to feed a large number and can often be prepared in advance! The classic Italian pasta al forno is made with a meat ragu, béchamel and cheese. However, there are hundreds of other recipes that fall into the pasta al forno category.

Some baked pasta recipes take a while to prepare, especially if using a meat sauce. Others are pretty simple and fast! This cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno is definitely one of the simpler ways to make baked pasta. But simpler doesn’t mean lacking in taste. This is seriously yummy, cheesy and creamy!
Pasta al forno bianca (white).
This recipe is what Italians call pasta al forno bianca, meaning white baked pasta. In other words, no tomatoes! Many white baked pasta dishes contain meat such as sausage, ground meat or ham, like in this baked ziti al gratin from Naples.
This cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno is meatless and the sauce is really just béchamel with cheese and eggs. So super easy to make! Of course, you could add some ham or sausage to this recipe if you want.
Ingredients.
The béchamel: Béchamel, also known as just white sauce, is made with butter, flour and milk. I made the béchamel sauce myself, but to make this cheesy baked pasta shells even faster you can use a ready-made white sauce.
The cheese: This recipe calls for grated Grana or Parmigiano Reggiano plus Fontina. Fontina is my favourite Italian melting cheese. It comes from the Val d’Aosta and is the cheese Italians use in their version of cheese fondue! So, as you can imagine it melts into a wonderful creamy cheese sauce!
However, if you can’t find fontina, you can use another good melting cheese such as mild provolone, gruyere or gouda! For US readers: apparently the fontina available in US is mostly Danish and is milder than Italian fontina! But it still melts well.
The pasta:
For this baked pasta shells recipe I used dried conchiglie made with eggs. Conchiglie are middle sized pasta shells.
Large pasta shells which are usually filled and baked are called conchiglione or lumaconi. Then there are very small pasta shells, conchigliette, which are great in soups! You can read more about these different pasta shells if you like!
Conchiglie are a great choice for this cheesy baked pasta as the shells get filled with the sauce, making every mouthful super delicious! But, if you want to use a different type of pasta, then I’d recommend pasta tubes like mezze maniche or penne.
Baking and serving your cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno.
It’s traditional to make baked pasta in a rectangular oven dish. But, this time round I had guests coming for lunch, so I decided to bake and serve this pasta al forno bianca in individual terracotta oven dishes. I got these dishes a while back when I bought and cooked jumbo pasta shells called caccavelle.
Those shells are said to be the biggest pasta in the world and each terracotta pot only takes one pasta shell. My guests loved their individual portions and am sure yours will too if you do the same. Otherwise just use a normal oven dish. Whichever way you serve this cheesy conchiglie pasta al forno, everyone will love it!
Step by step instructions.
As I mentioned above, this is a very easy recipe.
All you need to do is first make the béchamel if you aren't using ready made. Then grate the cheese.
Next, mix eggs and some of the Grana or Parmigiano into the béchamel along with some salt and pepper to taste.
Then cook the pasta in boiling salted water, drain it and add it to the sauce. Mix together well.
Finally, fill the oven dishes or dish with the pasta, sauce and cheese as explained in the recipe instructions below. Then baked until the top layer is a little browned and cripy.
Serve while hot!
What to do with leftovers.
If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat leftovers use the oven or a microwave. However, leftovers will be drier than when this dish is first made.
Is this recipe vegetarian?
Italian Grana, Parmigiano and Fontina are made with animal rennet. So, they are not vegetarian. However, you can find versions of these cheeses made with vegetable rennet if you want to make a vegetarian version. Ask your cheesemonger.
Let me know what you think.
If you do try this cheesy conchiglie pasta shells al forno, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon Appetito!
Other great baked pasta recipes on The Pasta Project
- Classic pasta al Forno
- Baked conchiglione with spinach and ricotta
- Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
- Caccavelle alla Sorrentina
- Baked Tuscan gnudi (malfatti)
- Tagliolini au gratin with ham and cream
Save this recipe for later?
If you want to save this recipe for later, you can print it, bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.
If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools? All great prezzies for pasta lovers!
Janelle says
Love This. So Delicious!! Thank you for sharing!
Louise says
I made this tonight after having saved your facebook post! It was easy to make, visually beautiful and delicious! I am so inspired by your passion for Italian food, you are living the dream! Thank you!
Ronda says
This is an awesome recipe! I stirred in some baby spinach before baking. Kind of a cheater’s way of putting the salad in the dinner. It was delicious!
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
Baked cheesy pasta, it really doesn't get better than this. Proper comfort food. 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
Such a tasty looking dish, so cheesy and filling! Would love this right now.
Rosa says
OH EM GEE! This looks so yummy! Being Italian we made a version of this in a large tray offen growing up but I’ve never had cute individual portions like this. LOVE THIS!! Can’t wait to try.
Danielle Wolter says
these look so cheesy and delicious i can almost taste them. i love how simple the ingredients are, and how easy this is to make.
Kate Hackworthy says
MMMM baked cheesy pasta is amazing. I love how oozy and tasty yours looks.
Dannii Martin says
I love an easy baked pasta dish and this is total comfort food!
Jacqui says
I agree Dannii! Baked pasta is my favourite comfort food!
Caroline says
This looks so comforting and tasty. I love the choice of pasta and cheeses in here.
Brian Jones says
So delicious and so simple, I love that this uses conchiglie, those little pools of backed cheesy bechamel are like wee pools of magic!
Lesli Schwartz says
This is just pure cheesy goodness! Rich and comforting I could eat several platefuls of this dish! Thanks for sharing!
Jules says
I made this tonight and omg it was delicious! So simple to make yet decadent. My boyfriend couldn't believe I made. Thanks so much for a great a t recipe! It is a keeper!
Beth Neels says
Yum! This is comfort food at it's finest! I love all of the different cheeses that you add! We have a wonderful Italian grocer in the city that has all imported cheeses from Italy. I'm going to see if they have Italian fontina! I can't wait to try it!
Cathy says
These shells look so delicious and creamy! Cannot wait to make these!
Jacqui says
Grazie Cathy! These baked pasta shells are superlicious. I'm sure you'll love them!
Darlene @ Dip Recipe Creations says
Shells and cheese are my favorite combination and this white pasta dish looks amazing.
Jacqui says
So kind of you to say so Darlene! Pasta shells and cheese are a favourite of mine too!
Susan @ Simply Sundays says
Absolutely mouth watering! Love that you made this in individual servings. I just pinned this and can't wait to try it out!
Jacqui says
Thanks so much Susan! I love baking pasta in individual portions. It adds an elegant touch and there's no fighting over portion sizes!! I'm certain you'll really enjoy this recipe!
Cristie says
I love the simplicity of this and I love that they are individually served. These would be a hit with my little guy I'm sure.
Jacqui says
Thanks Cristie! I also love that this dish is so simple to make! Am sure your son will really like it!
kim says
So creamy and delicious! I love this recipe!
Jacqui says
Grazie Kim! Yes very creamy and delicious! A real winner dinner!
Amy | The Cook Report says
This looks so cheesy and yummy, I can't wait to try it!
Jacqui says
I'm sure you'll love this dish Amy! Thanks for commenting!