This pasta bake dish is simple to prepare ahead of time and works well with rigatoni, penne, or ziti. It has a rich marinara sauce within, and mozzarella and ricotta cheese are used to top it.
Serve this with a side of my cheese-topped garlic bread.A recipe for a cheesy, meaty pasta bake is unbeatable. This is my go-to meal for feeding a large group of people because it's simple to prepare in advance, there are several different types of pasta available, and it always leaves everyone feeling full.
The spaghetti is covered in a thick layer of hearty marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella and a creamy ricotta combination. Every mouthful is flavor-filled. Let's get started with everything you should know!
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
- ⅛ 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
How to make pasta bake
- Al dente pasta should be prepared for 2 minutes less.
- 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, Ricotta, Parmesan, and 1 whisked egg should all be combined and left away.
- In a big skillet, brown ground meat and onions. Add seasonings after dripping fat.
- Heat through the marinara sauce addition. Add pasta and ¾ of the meat sauce to a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Add the leftover meat sauce and dollops of the ricotta mixture on top. For 20 minutes, bake with a cover at 375°.
- Remove the cover and raise the temperature to 400 degrees. Add mozzarella cheese on top and bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbling and heated. Serve with garlic bread and cheese, garnished with fresh parsley.
Make ahead method
- After preparing the meat, onions, and seasonings as directed, remove from heat. Stir in the marinara sauce after adding it. Cool down.
- Prepare the casserole as directed, then boil the pasta.
- Up to two days, cover and store in the fridge.
- Bake covered for an additional 10 minutes. The finished casserole can also be frozen. Before baking, let it defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Pro tips
- Although you can use less sauce if you like, the pasta absorbs a surprising amount of liquid while baking in this recipe. You can prepare my own marinara sauce, which I've linked to in the equipment section below.
- The ideal pastas for this recipe are tube-shaped pastas like rigatoni, rigatoni, and ziti because they adhere to the sauce effectively. I prefer to purchase the "rigati" variety since the ridges on the outside help them hold onto the sauce even more.
- You are allowed to use any kind or combination of ground beef, veal, pig, veal, or sausage.
- The best option is to use fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese that you have shredded or grated at home. Compared to using boxed cheese, this will make it significantly creamier and more flavourful
Storage
For up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer, store in an airtight container.
Tools for this recipe
- My go-to marinara sauce is always Rao's, which is restaurant-quality.
- 9 x 13-inch baking pan Almost any pasta bake or casserole recipe will work perfectly with this size.
- Using a silicone spatula makes it simple to gently fold cooked pasta into the sauce.
- Box cheese grater: For creamy, melty results, always shred cheese from a block. Since cellulose is included in bagged shredded cheese, it does not melt as well in soups and sauces.
- I like that these measuring spoons are magnetic. They maintain order in my drawer.
Notes
- Although you can use less sauce if you like, the pasta absorbs a surprising amount of liquid while baking in this recipe. My go-to marinara sauce is always Rao's, but you can also prepare it yourself.
- The ideal pastas for this recipe are tube-shaped pastas like rigatoni, rigatoni, and ziti because they adhere to the sauce effectively. I prefer to purchase the "rigati" variety since the ridges on the outside help them hold onto the sauce even more.
- You are allowed to use any kind or combination of ground beef, veal, pig, veal, or sausage.
- The best option is to use fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese that you have shredded or grated at home.
Pasta Bake Recipe
This pasta bake dish is simple to prepare ahead of time and works well with rigatoni, penne, or ziti. It has a rich marinara sauce within, and mozzarella.
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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
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- ⅛ 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:
- 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: 139mg | Potassium: 995mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1209IU | Vitamin C: 13mg
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