Pasta al forno (no Tom, it's not Mac'n Cheese!)

For a big dish like the one on the picture, you'll need 1 kg of rigatoni, 1 liter of bechamel sauce, 750 g of industrial mozzarella, and a small bag of shredded emmenthal or extra sharp cheddar, and some grated parmigiano. My Italian mother-in-law actually recommends Danish mozzarella for this, no need to go for the good stuff. 

Cook the pasta half the recommended time (e.g., 5 mns), drain and let cool. In the meantime, prepare the bechamel by slowly melting 100 g of butter,and then adding 4 large tablespoons of flour and mixing to obtain a paste. Pour in 1 liter of milk, and whisk over low heat until the consistency thickens. Do not let it boil!

Mix the pasta with almost all of the bechamel and shredded cheese. Layer in an oven safe dish: pasta, mozzarella, pasta, mozzarella, etc. Push with your hands to make it compact, pour over the remaining bechamel and some parmigiano and put in the oven 45-60 mns (200 C / 400 F) until the crust is golden.