Full of tender noodles, robust tomato sauce, homemade creamy Alfredo and savory mozzarella cheese, this easy Baked Pasta dish is delicious. Kid friendly, this family style dinner is made for busy weeknights.
Pasta is the perfect weeknight meal and this easy casserole is no different. Warm and comforting, Easy Baked Pasta comes together in mere minutes! Saucy, robust and silky this dish is comfort food to the max.
I like to think this dish is also good for using up any leftover pasta or homemade spaghetti sauce from other meals. Other quick and easy dinner ideas to check out are our freezer burritos or our green machine quesadillas.
🥘 Ingredients
Four everyday ingredients make this dish so simple and easy to pull together.
- Cooked Pasta - any shaped pasta works, whichever you prefer
- Marinara Sauce - we prefer using Rao marinara sauce, you can definitely make your own sauce if you prefer
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce - our homemade sauce takes this dish over the top, but you can use a jarred option if you are in a real pinch
- Shredded Mozzarella - freshly shredded cheese provides the most flavor and will melt the best
🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
Firstly, you will want to pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Then you will want to take half of the marinara and spread it across the bottom of your lightly greased casserole dish.
Secondly add your cooked pasta to the dish. Then you will want to go ahead and add your Alfredo sauce and the other half of your marinara to the dish.
Finally, sprinkle mozzarella across your easy baked pasta dish. Once assembled cover the dish with aluminum foil to help from losing too much moisture. Beforehand go ahead and spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray to keep any cheese from sticking to the foil while baking.
Then place your pan in the oven and allow it to bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are hot and bubbly. Lastly, remove the casserole dish from the oven and uncover then serve it while hot and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Make it Your Own
Our easy Baked Pasta is the perfect base recipe. That is what makes it the ideal recipe for customizing and making your own. While this dish is a great meatless dinner option you can easily add your favorite meat to the dish.
It is also easy to try adding favorite veggies like wilted spinach, shredded zucchini, cooked peppers or onions. You can also spruce up the dish easily by adding fresh parsley or garlic for more fragrant flavors.
💬 Top Tips
Make in Advance
Baked pasta dishes can easily be made in advance. Prepare the dish just like normal and cover with foil. Instead of putting the casserole dish in the oven to bake, pop it in the fridge. When ready to bake pull from the fridge and bake as normal.
How to Serve
Our easy Baked Pasta is delicious served with meatballs if looking for an added protein. We also love to serve this dish with warm garlic bread and a fresh salad for a well rounded meal.
Storing
Any leftover pasta can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
📋 FAQ's
How easy is it to make Alfredo sauce?
With just six ingredients and 10 minutes (or less) you can have fresh homemade sauce for enjoying with all the things. Homemade Alfredo sauce is so simple and easy to make. Adding this recipe to your arsenal will change your life!
Should you cover pasta when baking?
Any kind of baked pasta should be covered when baking to help keep the dish from losing moisture. If you are topping the dish with shredded cheese you can spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray to keep any cheese from sticking to the foil while baking.
Can you prepare a baked pasta in advance?
Baked pasta dishes can easily be made in advance. Prepare the dish just like normal and cover with foil. Instead of putting the casserole dish in the oven to bake, pop it in the fridge. When ready to bake pull from the fridge and bake as normal.
📖 Recipe
Baked Pasta
Full of tender noodles, robust tomato sauce, homemade creamy Alfredo and savory mozzarella cheese, this easy Baked Pasta dish is delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked pasta
- 28 ounces Alfredo sauce
- 28 ounces marinara
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
- Spread half of the marinara to the bottom of the lightly greased casserole dish. Add the cooked pasta to the dish.
- Add Alfredo sauce, and other half of marinara to the dish.
- Sprinkle mozzarella over the dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Remove the casserole dish from the oven and uncover. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
- Fresh homemade Alfredo sauce takes this dish over the top. Our Alfredo sauce is sooo easy to make. I promise it is worth the extra few minutes to pull together.
- Covered the dish when baking to help keep in the moisture so your pasta stays perfectly saucy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 650Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 29gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 1639mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 20g