A hearty family meal that’s great to make at any time during the week. But you can make it in many different ways.
Pasta bakes are super simple. Cook your pasta, some other fillings and a sauce, then whack it all in a casserole dish in the oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes.
What’s your favourite way to make a pasta bake?
The pasta
Almost any pasta shape will work in a bake, but the ones that catch sauces well work the best as they help to distribute the sauce through the dish evenly, rather than have it all drip to the bottom.
Think along the lines of orecchiette, macaroni or penne – or even a mixture of these works well. Steer clear of spaghetti and some of the flatter shapes like farfalle, although even those would work in a pinch.
The filling
Although it’s a simple recipe, you can be fairly adventurous with the ingredients.
There are so many ingredients to choose from. Tuna, bacon, cheese, broccoli, peas: pasta bakes are a fantastic way of using up leftover meat and vegetables from the night before, or pretty much anything else you have stashed away.
We've got a version of the recipe that comes packed with that longstanding favourite combination: bacon and mushroom, topped with a creamy, cheesy sauce, but there are cases to be argued for smoked sausage, pancetta, cauliflower chunks and much more – there's even beetroot in this spooky recipe designed for Halloween!
The golden rule is, what you put in, you get out – meaning that if you go the extra mile to make caramelised onions or marinated meat, your pasta bake will reach new levels of deliciousness.
The sauce
Generally, a cheesy or white sauce works well, but you could also get away using a thick tomato ragu-style sauce. Make sure your pasta is well coated before popping it in the oven, and scrape out all of your sauce to top the bake.
Do you like to add cheese on top? We like Cheddar, if we’re going to use cheese at all, but we wouldn’t say no to a light dusting of Parmesan either. Or how about some continental cheese like Gouda or Comté?
What about breadcrumbs – do you blitz a slice of bread to help make the topping extra crunchy, or perhaps rely on a simple sprinkling of sea salt flakes?
What’s your favourite way of making a pasta bake? What ingredients do you use? What cheese do you like topping the bake with – and do you use breadcrumbs? Let us know in the Comments below.
You might also like:
Spaghetti with garlic oil and chilli recipe