Baked Pasta is a delicious, cheesy meal made by baking pasta, cheese, sauce & spices. Baked Pasta is a must try at home for its taste & no wonder it becomes favorite of all. Baked Pasta Recipe is explained in this post with step by step pictures and video.
Baked Pasta with onion, bellpepper along with red sauce and cheese. Baked Pasta tastes so good that it is irrestible with the goodness of vegetables and cheese.
About Baked Pasta
Baked Pasta is extra delicious with the smell of pasta cooking in red sauce and cheese yum. Pasta sucks up a lot of the sauce while baking so make sure add more sauce or pasta cooked water to make a juicy pasta bake.
Hubby loves pasta and I have seen him enjoy white pasta at restaurants but I love spicy tomato based pasta though we don’t order pasta when we dine out.Its just the pasta we have a taste in the buffet menu. Mittu and gugu are fond of this Baked Pasta so I make it once in a while.
I have already tried and posted Baked Mac and Cheese which we love the most.Last time when I made Arrabiata sauce I had little leftover so made a pasta bake and we loved it so thought I should make it again and post it. Last weekend we dined at a new restaurant and hubby wanted to order pasta but since it was very late night dinner he held back and went ahead with our usual south indian menu .I thought to surprise my man with his favorite pasta. Yesterday I made this pasta bake and served him, He just loved it so much that he even forgot to tell how it was, he was silently happily digging in.
Secret to Moist Baked Pasta
While cooking pasta make sure to reserve half a cup of pasta cooked water. Make the sauce little goey, add reserved pasta cooked water then add pasta and toss well. Adding pasta cooked water does the trick of keeping the paste moist even after baking. Recently found this trick so thought to update here.
How to make Baked Pasta
To begin with first cook pasta in water along with salt and little oil. Drain and set aside. Heat butter in a pan – add onion, garlic saute until golden then add capsicum saute for few seconds then add chilli flakes, pasta sauce and required salt. Preheat oven while you make this. Then spoon the pasta in a baking dish, cover itup with mozarella cheese and bake for 10-12 mins. I usually grill it for the last 2 mins to get the crusty tip but this is optional.
Baking without oven
You can use a kadai place a stand on it and place the tray inside. Cook covered for 10 mins or until the cheese melts and is goey. But the crusted top can be attained only through baking/grilling.
More Related Recipes
Baked Pasta Ingredients
- Pasta : You can use any pasta variety of your choice. I used fusilli whole wheat pasta.
- Cheese : Use mozarella cheese for topping as it spreads easily. Or you can even use a combination of parmesan cheese along with mozarella cheese.
- Pasta Sauce : I used homemade pasta sauce, you can use storebought ones too.
- Vegetables : I have used garlic, onion and capsicum. You can add vegetables like corn, mushroom, carrots, peas etc.
- Herbs & Spices : Oregano and chilli flakes are the main spices used here.
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Baked Pasta | Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 cup pasta
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic finely chopped
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup capsicum
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 cup pasta sauce
- 1/2 cup mozarella cheese
- 1 tsp oregano for garnish
- 3 to 4 cups water to cook pasta
- salt to taste
Instructions
- To begin with first add water.
- Boil well add salt and few drops of oil.
- Add pasta. I used wheat pasta.
- Cook well.It takes atleast 7-10 mins to cook, depends on pasta variety too.
- Keep an eye and keep checking.
- .Check by cutting it with a spoon.If it cuts through easily then pasta is done.Switch off.
- Drain immediately. Rinse with cold water to prevent from further cooking. Set aside.
- Heat butter in a pan – add garlic saute for fwe seconds then add onion.
- Saute until golden.
- Then add capsicum along with chilli flakes.
- Saute for a minute.
- Add pasta sauce along with required salt. I used homemade pasta sauce.
- Mix well cook for a minute.
- Add cooked pasta.
- Mix it well.
- Spoon it into the baking tray.
- Add grated cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg for 10 mins. I grilled it for the last 2 mins. Finally sprinkle oregano and chilli flakes. Enjoy Baked Pasta!
Video
Notes
- Do not bake for more time as the pasta may become very hard and chewy to eat.
- You can use either store bought pasta sauce or make your own sauce at home.
- I liked the idea of baking in individual portions especially if your kids like pasta then its easy to serve individually.
- Use only oven proof dish.
- I made two layers in the baking dish but in ramekins I just added everything together and finally grated cheese on top alone.
- I used colored capsicum alone, you can add any veggies of your choice.
- If you want a more spicy version add little more arrabiata sauce than the mentioned amount.
- The cooked pasta should be juicy and not dry so add pasta sauce accordingly.
How to make Baked Pasta
1.To begin with first add water.
2.Boil well add salt and few drops of oil.
3.Add pasta. I used wheat pasta.
4.Cook well. It takes atleast 7-10 mins to cook, depends on pasta variety too.
5.Keep an eye and keep checking.
6.Check by cutting it with a spoon. If it cuts through easily then pasta is done. Switch off.
7.Drain immediately. Rinse with cold water to prevent from further cooking. Set aside.
8.Preheat oven at 200 deg C for 10 mins. Heat butter in a pan – add garlic saute for fwe seconds then add onion.
9.Saute until golden.
10.Then add capsicum along with chilli flakes.
11.Saute for a minute.
12.Add pasta sauce along with required salt. I used homemade pasta sauce.
13.Mix well cook for a minute.
14.Add cooked pasta.
15.Mix it well.
16.Spoon it into the baking tray.
17.Add grated cheese.
18.Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg for 10-12 mins. I usually grill it for the last 2 mins to get the crusty tip but this is optional.
Enjoy hot pasta!
Expert Tips
- Do not bake for more time as the pasta may become very hard and chewy to eat.
- The cooked pasta should be juicy and not dry so add pasta sauce accordingly.
- Reserved 1/2 cup cooked pasta water, you can add it to sauce while cooking this makes pasta juicer.
- You can use either store bought pasta sauce or use homemade pasta suace.
- I liked the idea of baking in individual portions especially if your kids like pasta then its easy to serve individually.
- Use only oven proof dish.
- I used onion and capsicum alone, you can add any veggies of your choice.
- You can add mushroom, carrot or any veggie of your choice.
- Adjust spice level according to your preference.
Variations
- I have used only mozarella cheese. You can use a combination of parmesan cheese with mozarella cheese too.
- If you like spicy pasta then add 1 tbsp schezwan sauce while cooking.
- You can add a tbsp of mayo if you like the mild sweetness.
- Add vegetables like corn, mushrooms, carrot or as per your liking.
Serving and Storage
- Serve it with any bread toast or it can be had as such too.
- I would recommend to consume it fresh. Incase you want to store, make the sauce seperately store in fridge then mix it with pasta while serving.
FAQs
1.What is Baked Pasta?
Baked Pasts is nothing but cooked pasta tossed in red pasta sauce along with vegetables, herbs and spices then baked with cheese until golden and goey.
2.Do we need to cover pasta while baking?
No need to cover. As we are grilling for the last few mins it is better to keep it open. But if you want you can wrap it with a aluminium foil and bake.
3.How to make moist baked pasta?
Add pasta cooked water along with pasta and vegetables which helps in keeping pasta moist. Also if you want it more moist then do not grill it, just bake it.
4.Can I bake pasta ater cooking it?
Yes you can bake pasta after cooking it. Note that the timing should be very less else pasta may become too dry and rubbery.
5.Why do we need to bake pasta?
Baked pasta tastes so good than regular red sauce pasta with a crusty cheesey top so I prefer to make baked pasta as my family loves it.
Durga Karthik.
wow no wonder your hubby forgot the world.Recipe and photos convey it.Will try soon.
Veena Theagarajan
yummy so tempting
Mahalakshmi
Yaa…tempting to eat n also to bake …?
renuka sundar
Can u tell us how to make the pasta sauce at hone?
Div
Wow sharmili.. Such detailed information.
I will definitely try it.. Looks yummy ?
LittleCookingTips Panos-Mirella
Wow! The colors of this recipe are staggering! And the taste….no doubt must be staggering too:) Loved the idea, thank you Sharmilee!
Deepika
This recipe looks awesome!!
Shobana
Tried this recipe a couple of times now. It is awesome. My son loves it so much keeps asking me to make it every week. 😊 Thanks for the recipe. Your blog is very good.
Shobana Franklin