This is the dish people stop scrolling for: a baked pasta with a burnished cheese crust, bubbling at the edges, and a creamy tomato-cream interior that holds its shape on the plate. It photographs well. It also eats well, which is the part that matters after the camera goes away.
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The method is deliberately plain. You boil pasta short of al dente, build a quick tomato-cream sauce on the stove, combine, top with mozzarella and parmesan, and bake until the top is golden brown and the center reads 165F (74C) on an instant-read thermometer. Nothing here requires technique you do not already have.
The one place this goes wrong is pasta doneness. Overboil it and the bake turns to porridge under the cheese. Pull it two minutes early, always.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
About the Ingredients
1 lb (450g) penne rigate or rigatoni
Ridged tubes hold sauce better than smooth shapes. If you only have fusilli, use it, but add 1 minute to the boil since the spirals trap more water.
1 lb (450g) ground beef, 85% lean
85/15 gives enough fat to flavor the sauce without greasing it out. Ground turkey works as a swap, but add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan first.
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup / 160g)
Yellow onion melts into the sauce; red onion stays sharp and turns the sauce pink. Sweet onion is a fine substitute if yellow is out.
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
Fresh garlic only, please. Jarred garlic tastes metallic after 30 minutes in the oven. If you must, use 1 teaspoon garlic paste.
24 oz (680g) jarred marinara sauce
Buy a brand with no added sugar listed in the first four ingredients. A plain crushed-tomato passata plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano is a good homemade stand-in.
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
Heavy cream stabilizes the sauce at oven heat. Half-and-half will work but can split; whole milk will curdle and should be avoided.
2 cups (225g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
Low-moisture is the point; fresh mozzarella releases water and makes the top soupy. Buy a block and shred it yourself for better melt.
1/2 cup (50g) finely grated parmesan
Parmigiano-Reggiano or a decent grana padano. Pre-grated shaker parmesan contains cellulose and will not brown properly.
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
Kosher salt is less dense than table salt; if using table salt, cut to 3/4 teaspoon. Salt the pasta water like you mean it.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Grind it fresh. Pre-ground pepper has spent months losing whatever it once had.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, for finishing
Add after baking, never before, or it turns black. Flat-leaf parsley is a solid substitute if basil is expensive this week.
Tips & Tricks
Undercook the pasta by two minutes
The oven finishes the job. Pasta boiled to al dente in the pot will be mushy by the time the cheese browns.
Drain the beef properly
Tilt the pan and spoon off excess fat before adding the sauce, or the bake turns greasy and the crust slides.
Let it rest ten minutes
The sauce sets as it cools, so portions hold together instead of running across the plate.
Shred your own cheese
Bagged shredded mozzarella is coated in starch, which blocks browning and leaves pale, rubbery patches.
Pro Tips
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Heat the oven and prep
Set a rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 375F (190C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.
2. Boil the pasta
Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and cook the penne for 2 minutes less than the package directions, about 9 minutes. It should still be firm at the center when you bite one.
3. Brown the beef
While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (about 400F / 205C surface temperature) and add the ground beef. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the edges are browned.
4. Soften onion and garlic
Reduce heat to medium, add the onion, and cook 4 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 45 seconds, just until fragrant, not browned.
5. Build the sauce
Pour in the marinara and heavy cream, add 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and simmer 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
6. Combine
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour the sauce over it and stir gently until every tube is coated, about 30 seconds.
7. Assemble and top
Transfer to the baking dish and spread flat. Scatter the mozzarella evenly, then the parmesan, covering the surface completely.
8. Bake until golden
Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and the edges bubble steadily. The center should read 165F (74C) on an instant-read thermometer.
9. Rest and finish
Rest the dish 10 minutes on a wire rack, then scatter the basil over the top and cut into six portions.
Delicious Variations
Spicy Arrabbiata Version
Swap the marinara for arrabbiata and add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the beef for a sharper, hotter bake.
Vegetarian Mushroom Bake
Replace the beef with 1 lb (450g) cremini mushrooms sliced and browned hard, plus 1 cup cooked lentils for body.
Chicken Alfredo Twist
Use 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken and swap the marinara for a 15 oz (425g) jar of alfredo sauce; reduce the cream to 1/2 cup.
How to Store Pinterest Image Pasta Bake
Refrigerator
Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat single portions covered at 350F (175C) for 15 minutes.
Freezer
Freeze unbaked, tightly wrapped, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking, and add 8 to 10 minutes to the bake time.
Reheating
Reheat covered with foil at 350F (175C) for 20 minutes, then uncover for the last 5 to re-crisp the top. Add a splash of water if it looks dry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make this pasta bake ahead of time?
Yes, you can assemble it up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it covered. Add 10 to 12 minutes to the bake time since it starts cold, and check the center reaches 165F (74C).
Q: Why did my pasta bake turn out dry?
It was likely baked too long or the sauce was too thick before assembly. Undercook the pasta, keep the sauce loose enough to coat a spoon, and pull the dish as soon as the edges bubble.
Q: Can I use a different pasta shape?
Yes, any short ridged shape works, including rigatoni, ziti, or fusilli. Avoid long pasta like spaghetti, which tangles and bakes unevenly in a 9×13 pan.
Q: How do I know when the pasta bake is done?
The cheese should be golden brown and the edges bubbling steadily, with the center at 165F (74C). If the top browns before the center is hot, tent it loosely with foil.
Q: Can I freeze this pasta bake?
Yes, freeze it unbaked and tightly wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed with an extra 8 to 10 minutes.
Build it tonight, bake it once, and you have dinner for six plus a lunch that reheats better than it has any right to. If you make it, tell me how the crust came out.
Pinterest Image Pasta Bake
This Pinterest image pasta bake is a creamy, golden-topped weeknight dinner that feeds six and looks exactly as good as it tastes.
🧂 Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) penne rigate or rigatoni
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef, 85% lean
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup / 160g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 24 oz (680g) jarred marinara sauce
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 2 cups (225g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- 1/2 cup (50g) finely grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, for finishing
📋 Instructions
- 1Heat the oven and prep — Set a rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 375F (190C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.
- 2Boil the pasta — Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and cook the penne for 2 minutes less than the package directions, about 9 minutes. It should still be firm at the center when you bite one.
- 3Brown the beef — While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (about 400F / 205C surface temperature) and add the ground beef. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the edges are browned.
- 4Soften onion and garlic — Reduce heat to medium, add the onion, and cook 4 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 45 seconds, just until fragrant, not browned.
- 5Build the sauce — Pour in the marinara and heavy cream, add 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and simmer 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
- 6Combine — Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour the sauce over it and stir gently until every tube is coated, about 30 seconds.
- 7Assemble and top — Transfer to the baking dish and spread flat. Scatter the mozzarella evenly, then the parmesan, covering the surface completely.
- 8Bake until golden — Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and the edges bubble steadily. The center should read 165F (74C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- 9Rest and finish — Rest the dish 10 minutes on a wire rack, then scatter the basil over the top and cut into six portions.
