baked pasta

We took a couple shortcuts for this traditional lasagna recipe by using store-bought marinara and boxed pasta sheets. It saves a ton of time without sacrificing any ﻿flavor. Make sure to follow these tips.

Classic Lasagna

lasagna noodles

extra-virgin olive oil,

beef

garlic,

oregano

Kosher salt

black pepper

(32-0z.) jars marinara

whole milk ricotta

c. Parmesan, divided

parsley,

lb. sliced mozzarella

Found the measurements, and quantities were extremely off. Ended up throwing out a lot of noodles and having to make more meat and ran out of cheese slices even though we used 2lbs of cheese.

This recipe did not work out for me at all. The quantities were WAY off. For a start you need 2lb of beef.
For the mozzarella, I sliced fresh moz myself, which ended up beeing think and making it extra cheesy - better to buy sliced moz (slightly processed).
Finally, the whole milk ricotta mix was not easily spreadable at all... perhaps I used the worng broand or should have used the egg white as suggested in the other comments.

Great recipe! I used half ground beef/half hot Italian sausage.

I ended up only getting 2 full layers into my pan. I used 8 noodles and had a bunch of oily noodles leftover. I also didn't need 2 full pounds of mozzarella, but I'm sure we'll manage to eat that. Overall, easier recipe than any I've tried before. Very tasty.

My Family loved this recipe. I added the cinnamon the the meat mixture, which many Greek recipes call for (we are Greek) and it was wonderful. Even my daughter, who doesn’t like lasagna, ate some and said how good it was.

Actually when I moved to the south in  60s-70s you could not get Ricotta in grocery stores, so I did use cottage cheese with eggs added.  I worked quite well.  I now use Ricotta and also add the egg.

Fantastic. I made it in a 9x9 pan so halved the recipe (sorta). Added more cheese, because there is never enough for us :) Laid out noodles as you suggested and sprayed with olive oil. First time I haven’t had them tear. Made it so easy. Also the tip to under cooking lasagna was valuable. Used a sprinkle of cinnamon. Just perfect. My husband said you need to make this again.  I used Barilla marinara sauce.

I absolutely loved this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!

Turned out excellent. The only thing I did different was to divide it into two pans. One I froze, the second I baked after leaving in the fridge overnight. To answer one of the below questions, I then increased the 400• time to 30 minutes from 18-20.  Worked out great.

Loved the tip about adding the cinnamon! Delicious lasagna!

https://streaming.hearstdigitalstudios.com/b4a23c8c-ceec-44ae-88a1-7d627cd1fc11/video_rover_16x9_1080p_hd_1585574533_40600.mp4

We took a couple shortcuts for this recipe by using store-bought marinara and boxed pasta sheets. It saves a ton of time without sacrificing any flavor.

Layers of pasta, flavorful roasted vegetables, a simple homemade red sauce, and melty cheese make this roasted vegetable baked penne to die for!

Roasted Vegetable Baked Penne

onion

zucchini (0.79)

yellow squash (1.11)

bell pepper (1.69)

olive oil (0.26)

salt (0.02)

⅛ tsp pepper (0.02)

butter

28 ounces. can crushed tomatoes (0.79)

tomato paste (0.12)

Tbsp Italian seasoning* (0.30)

water (0.02)

penne (1.00)

ricotta (2.19)

Italian cheese blend**, divided (1.86)

tsp pepper (0.02)

parsley (optional garnish) (0.11)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Dice the red onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper into 1-inch pieces. Spread the diced vegetables out over a large baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss until all the vegetables are coated in oil.

Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven, stirring once half way through, for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the edges are brown and caramelized.

While the vegetables are roasting, begin the red sauce. Finely dice the yellow onion and add it to a sauce pot with the butter. Sauté for a few minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, and water.

Stir the sauce to combine. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are finished roasting (about 30 minutes).

In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the shredded Italian cheese blend, and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the penne. Once boiling, add the penne and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain the penne in a colander, then return it to the pot with the heat turned off.

Stir one cup of the red sauce into the drained pasta to coat the pasta in flavor. Add the roasted vegetables to the remaining red sauce and stir to combine.

To layer the casserole, place half of the sauce coated penne in the bottom of a 9x13&quot; or 3 quart casserole dish. Add half of the cheese mixture on top in dollops, followed by half of the roasted vegetable and red sauce mixture. The ingredients do not need to create a solid layer or completely cover the previous layer. Repeat with a second layer of pasta, cheese, and vegetable red sauce. Finally, top the casserole with the second cup of shredded Italian cheese blend.

Cover the casserole with foil, making sure it doesn&#039;t touch the cheese on top. Place the casserole in the oven (still turned on to 400ºF) and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove the foil and switch the oven from bake to broil. Broil the top of the casserole to brown the cheese for 3-5 minutes (watch closely as broilers can vary quite a bit from oven to oven). Top with chopped parsley if desired and serve!

The Italian classic of homemade ragù bolognese and creamy béchamel, layered with sheets of fresh or dried pasta.

Classic Baked Lasagna Bolognese (Lasagne alla Bolognese) Recipe

unsalted butter (2 ounces; 60 grams),

all-purpose flour (1.25 ounces; 35 grams)

(700 milliliters) whole milk

salt and black pepper

nutmeg

(900 grams) fresh homemade plain egg

Vegetable oil, for greasing pasta

(85 grams) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat (do not allow it to brown). Add flour and whisk to form a paste. Continue to cook, stirring, until raw flour scent is gone, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, add milk in a thin, steady stream, or in increments of a couple of tablespoons at a time, whisking thoroughly and getting into all corners of the pan to maintain a homogeneous texture. Sauce will initially become very thick, then get very thin once all the milk is added.

Heat, stirring, until sauce comes to a simmer and begins to thicken slightly. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, until sauce is just thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in nutmeg. If any lumps form, simply whisk thoroughly to remove them and smooth out sauce, or use a hand blender or countertop blender if lumps are particularly large or tough. Use béchamel sauce right away, or press a piece of plastic wrap over surface of sauce to prevent a skin from forming and keep warm until ready to use. (Béchamel sauce can be cooled and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat very gently on the stovetop or in a microwave to use.)

If Using Homemade Pasta: Follow the recipe and instructions here through step 10 (you will end up with long sheets of fresh pasta), doubling the quantity to yield 2 pounds total (this will make more pasta than you will need, but it's best to have extra and avoid running out midway through assembly). Cut those sheets into roughly 8-inch-long rectangles.

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta, working in batches if necessary, until al dente (this will vary depending on the pasta you use, but for store-bought it's about 1 minute less than package instructions), then use a spider or mesh strainer to transfer immediately to a large ice bath to cool.

Drain pasta well, then rub each sheet lightly on both sides with vegetable oil (to prevent sticking). You can hold the cooked pasta sheets for up to 3 hours, but if you're doing this, it's best to lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with layers of plastic wrap between the layers of pasta (once again, to prevent sticking).

If Using No-Boil Pasta: Soak in warm water for 30 minutes to partially hydrate, then drain on paper towels or kitchen towels.

To assemble and bake lasagna, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with butter. Spoon a thin, even layer of ragù on bottom of baking dish, then lay down a layer of lasagna noodles; if's okay if they overlap somewhat, but you can cut any sheets that are too large to avoid excessive doubling up.

Top pasta with another thin layer of ragù (thin enough that you can see the pasta through it in some spots). Drizzle a small amount of béchamel all over ragù, then top with a showering of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat this layering process with pasta, ragù, béchamel, and grated cheese until baking dish is full; this should be about 6 layers. Finish with a top layer of pasta, then coat that with an even layer of the remaining béchamel sauce. Grate a final generous amount of cheese on top.

Bake lasagna until bubbling and browned on top, about 35 minutes (placing a rimmed baking sheet under the baking dish is good insurance in case anything bubbles over). Let rest 10 minutes, then serve.

Carbonara is a classic Roman pasta dish, and I gave it a comforting, autumnal spin by adding pumpkin and nutmeg to the recipe.

Pumpkin Carbonara

long pasta, (such as spaghetti or linguine)

pumpkin puree

chicken broth

pecorino cheese

black pepper, (plus more for serving)

olive oil

pancetta, (diced)

garlic cloves, (smashed and peeled)

onion (thinly sliced)

salt

Italian parsley, (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season the water generously with salt. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain well reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, to the pitcher of a blender add the pumpkin, chicken broth, egg, egg yolk, pecorino, nutmeg and black pepper. Puree on high until smooth.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and pancetta and cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes or until the pancetta is golden and crispy. Add the garlic, onions and salt to the pan and cook, stirring often, for another 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and fragrant. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and sprinkle the bare pasta with the parmesan cheese. Add 1/4 cup of pasta water and toss to coat. Add the pumpkin mixture to the pasta and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes adding more pasta water as needed until the mixture is slightly thickened and coats the pasta. Be sure to stir and toss the pasta constantly as to not scramble the egg. Serve topped with additional parmesan, black pepper and parsley if desired.

This spicy mushroom-sausage ragù is an amazing comfort meal that will have everyone in your family asking for seconds.

Spicy Mushroom-Sausage Ragù

olive oil (for sautéing)

hot Italian sausage

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

carrots

butter (optional)

cremini mushrooms (diced)

garlic (peeled and minced)

dry thyme

white pepper

beef stock (or 1 cup red wine, 2 cups beef stock)

can fire-roasted crushed

Salt and pepper

dry rigatoni

mozzarella

Dry parsley

Extra virgin olive oil

Flaky sea salt

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 8-12 minutes until the sausage is cooked through and begins to brown. If desired, add an extra ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper to the sausage.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel lined plate. If the sausage was very fatty. drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat in the pot. Return the pot to medium heat.

Brown the Sausage:

Add the carrots and onions to the oil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the aromatics begin to deepen in color and develop a crust. Season with salt and pepper and move them to one side of the pot.

If desired, melt 2 tablespoons butter into the pot.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly, for 12-15 minutes until they release all their liquid and the liquid evaporates. It will take some time, so be patient. Continue cooking until the mushrooms develop a beautiful golden crust.

Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Season with salt, white pepper, and thyme and cook for 45 seconds until fragrant.

Cook the Aromatics:

Return the sausage to the pot and toss to combine. Add the beef stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered. If the ragù sticks, add a lid and a few splashes more of water to loosen it up. The end result should be a very thick, jammy sauce, so if your ragù is watery, turn up the heat a bit during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking to cook off the excess water. It will allow it to develop a truly rich flavor! Don&#039;t worry, you will loosen it up with pasta cooking water later!

Taste and simmer the ragù to your preferences.

Simmer the Ragù:

Shortly before the ragù finishes simmering, preheat oven to 425ºF and cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta about 2-3 minutes shy of al dente.

Scoop out ⅔ cup of the pasta cooking water and pour it into the ragù and stir to combine.

Using a spider strainer, scoop out the pasta and transfer it directly to the pot of sauce and toss to combine. Turn off the heat.

Cook the Pasta:

If you have an oven-proof pot, you can assemble the pasta directly in the pot. Otherwise transfer the sauced pasta to a lightly greased oval baking dish.

Arrange the mozzarella on top of the pasta and sprinkle with dry parsley, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

If desired, turn on the broiler and broil the cheese for 2-3 minutes until golden brown bubbles begin to form. Turn off the heat and allow the baked pasta to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Bake the Pasta:

Divide the mushroom-sausage ragù and rigatoni between shallow bowls. Garnish with a tiny bit of flaky sea salt if you like, and a touch more parsley. Enjoy!

To Serve:

Cheesy pumpkin pasta with mushrooms, spinach, creamy pumpkin tomato sauce, and buttery walnut-sage topping. This baked pumpkin pasta sneaks veggies into every bite and will surely be a fall favorite. 

Pasta Bake with Pumpkin Tomato Sauce

unsalted butter

walnuts

cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced

yellow onion, finely chopped

tomato paste

garlic cloves,

red pepper flakes

spinach

kosher salt

vegetable broth

pumpkin purée

grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese,

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until 2 minutes SHY of al dente. (The pasta should still be firm, though tender enough to bite through.) Drain the pasta into a strainer and set aside. 

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the walnuts and 1 Tbsp. sage; cook 5 minutes, until the walnuts are toasted and aromatic. Season with a pinch of salt (~1/8 tsp.), and transfer mixture to a bowl.

Place pan back on the burner and increase heat to medium-high. Add olive oil, along with mushrooms and onion. Cook for 8 minutes, or until soft.

Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns brick red and begins sticking to the pan. Gradually add spinach, stirring continuously until greens wilt down. Stir in oregano, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and remaining 2 tsp. fresh sage.

Add vegetable broth, stirring to release any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in pumpkin puree, Parmesan (or Pecorino), and 1/2 cup fontina cheese; continue stirring until the fontina melts and the sauce is smooth. Add pasta and stir until all noodles are well-coated in sauce.

Transfer mixture to a 13x9-inch greased baking dish. Sprinkle remaining fontina cheese overtop, along with buttery walnut-sage mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 7 to 10 more minutes, until cheese is completely melted and golden. Garnish with additional Parmesan (or Pecorino), if desired, before serving.

Photograph: ©iStockphoto.com/mstroz Since the thought of another pile of paper to manage makes me cringe, I don’t keep a file of recipe clippings for the future. I can’t remember, then, what prompted me to pull this recipe from Mark Bittman’s...

Essentials: Baked Ziti Recipe

Italian sausage, preferably bulk

onion,

garlic

tomatoes, chopped,

ziti or other large cut pasta

mozzarella, grated or chopped

Olive oil or butter as needed

Parmesan,

Bring large pot of water to boil; salt it. Heat oven to 400°F.

Distribute meat in large skillet over medium high heat and cook, undisturbed, until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Stir and then cook another 2 minutes undisturbed. Add the onion and garlic. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft; add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer while cooking pasta, stirring and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; do not let sauce become too thick.

Cook pasta until just tender; it should still be too hard to eat. Drain it (do not shake the colander; allow some water to cling to the noodles) and toss it with the sauce and half the mozzarella. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spoon mixture into it. Top with remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan if using. Bake until top is browned and cheese bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes.

This is, in some ways, a classic meatless baked ziti, loaded with pools of cheese and rich tomato sauce. But it gets rid of the one thing that can often make baked ziti less than great: grainy ricotta cheese. Instead, we drizzle it with an over-the-top Parmesan cream. Trust us, you won't miss the ricotta.

Baked Ziti With Two Mozzarellas And Parmesan Cream Sauce Recipe

ziti pasta

tomato sauce,

low-moisture mozzarella (about 10 ounces)

mozzarella (about 10 ounces), divided

heavy cream

Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1 cup)

basil leaves,

Baked Ziti With Two Mozzarellas and Parmesan Cream Sauce Recipe

Preheat oven to 400°F and position rack in center. Boil pasta in a medium pot of salted boiling water until about halfway cooked (about 6 1/2 minutes for pasta that will be al dente in 9 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta.

In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta with 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce, reserved 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, low-moisture mozzarella, and 1 cup fresh mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Scrape into baking dish and press into an even layer.

Drizzle remaining 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce all over top of pasta.

Scatter remaining 1 cup mozzarella all over, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, gently simmer cream over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle in Parmigiano-Reggiano into cream and whisk until completely melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt. Keep warm.

Increase oven to 450°F, uncover baked ziti, and cook until just starting to brown on top, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Top with basil leaves, spoon onto plates, and drizzle with Parmesan cream. Serve immediately.

Prepare this easy lasagne ahead of time and save in the freezer, uncooked, for when you need it during a busy week. Then just bake for an extra 45 mins.

Classic Lasagne

tbsp olive oil,plus

lean beef mince

pack prosciutto

tomato sauce

hot beef stock

pack fresh lasagnesheets

quantity of our white sauce

ball mozzarella,torn into thin strips

Classic lasagne

To make the meat sauce, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-non-stick-frying-pans">frying pan</a> and cook 750g lean beef mince in two batches for about 10 mins until browned all over.

Finely <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-paring-knives">chop</a> 4 slices of prosciutto from a 90g pack, then stir through the meat mixture.

Pour over 800g passata or half our basic <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/339605/tomato-sauce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tomato sauce</a> recipe and 200ml hot beef stock. Add a little grated nutmeg, then season.

Bring up to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins until the sauce looks rich.

Heat oven to 180C/fan/160C/gas 4 and lightly oil an ovenproof dish (about 30 x 20cm).

Spoon one third of the meat sauce into the dish, then cover with some fresh lasagne sheets from a 300g pack. Drizzle over roughly 130g ready-made or homemade <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2982678/white-sauce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">white sauce</a>.

Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta. Cover with the remaining 390g white sauce, making sure you can’t see any pasta poking through.

Scatter 125g torn mozzarella over the top.

Arrange the rest of the prosciutto on top. Bake for 45 mins until the top is bubbling and lightly browned.

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