Pasta Bake Recipe
This Pasta Bake recipe is an easy make-ahead meal that can be made with ziti, rigatoni, or penne. It's tossed in a meaty marinara sauce and topped with a cheesy ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 523kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Pasta ziti, penne, or rigatoni
- 1 cup Ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 egg whisked
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese separated
- 1 lb. ground beef see notes
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon EACH: Salt/Pepper
- 1 teaspoon EACH: Onion powder + Italian Seasoning
- 2 (24 oz.) jars marinara sauce I recommend Rao's brand or homemade
- Fresh Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Note: This recipe uses a lot of sauce, but the pasta absorbs a lot of it when it bakes. We don’t want dry pasta.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and 1 cup (not all) mozzarella cheese and set aside.
- Begin boiling the pasta water while you cook the meat for the sauce. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than al dente, then drain. (Be sure to time it exactly so that you don’t end up with mushy pasta.)
- Cook and crumble the ground beef and diced onions over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the marinara sauce. Stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat.
- Combine the drained pasta with about ¾ of the sauce mixture and transfer it to a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add dollops of the ricotta mixture over the top, then the rest of the meat sauce.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and top with remaining 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese. Increase oven temp to 400 and bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes, until the top begins to bubble and brown.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with garlic bread with cheese.
Notes
This recipe uses a lot of sauce, you can choose to use less if desired but the pasta absorbs a surprising amount of sauce while it bakes. Rao's is always my go-to marinara sauce, or you can make my homemade marinara sauce.
Ziti, Penne, and Rigatoni are all tubed-shaped pastas that cling on to the sauce well and are best for this recipe. I prefer to get the 'rigati' version which means that the outside has ridges, which help them cling on to the sauce even more.
Feel free to use any variety or combination of ground meat including ground pork, veal, sausage, and/or beef.
It's best if you can use fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese from a block and shred/grate it yourself at home. This will make it much creamier and flavorful than using packaged cheese.
Make-Ahead Method:
Ziti, Penne, and Rigatoni are all tubed-shaped pastas that cling on to the sauce well and are best for this recipe. I prefer to get the 'rigati' version which means that the outside has ridges, which help them cling on to the sauce even more.
Feel free to use any variety or combination of ground meat including ground pork, veal, sausage, and/or beef.
It's best if you can use fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese from a block and shred/grate it yourself at home. This will make it much creamier and flavorful than using packaged cheese.
Make-Ahead Method:
- Cook the meat/onions/seasonings as outlined and then remove from heat. Add the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Let cool.
- Boil pasta and assemble casserole as outlined.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Add an additional 10 minutes of covered baking time. (Bake covered at 375° for 30 minutes. Add the cheese and bake uncovered at 400° for 10-15 minutes.)
- You can also freeze the assembled casserole. Let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours prior to baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 1391mg | Potassium: 995mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1209IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 334mg | Iron: 5mg