Easy Baked Pasta Recipe

Easy baked pasta is layered penne, a chicken liver and mushroom tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan, ready in about 2 hours 10 minutes. It feeds 8, and the sauce does most of the work while you do other things.

Why This Recipe Works

The sauce is built slowly on purpose. Cook the onion and garlic until soft, then brown the chicken livers and hearts over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring the whole time. Constant stirring keeps the livers from sticking and gives the sauce a deep, savory base.

Pour in the wine after the mushrooms and boil it down a little. That cooks off the sharp alcohol taste and leaves the sauce rounder before the tomatoes go in. Then 40 gentle minutes of simmering melts everything together.

Boil the pasta for only half its normal time. It finishes cooking in the oven, where it soaks up sauce instead of water, so it comes out tender but never mushy. Layering the cheeses between the pasta gives you melted mozzarella in every scoop.

Easy Baked Pasta Ingredients

For the pasta and cheese

• 1 3/4 pounds pasta, such as macaroni, ziti or penne, fresh or dried
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• 7 ounces (1 3/4 cups) freshly grated Parmesan

For the sauce

• 14 ounces fresh porcini, chopped, or 14 ounces cultivated mushrooms plus 1 ounce dried porcini
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 fluid ounces) olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 pound 2 ounces chicken livers and hearts
• 1 small glass white wine (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 handful chopped basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How To Make Easy Baked Pasta

Make the sauce

1. Soak the porcini: If you’re using dried porcini, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain. Skip this step if you’re using fresh porcini.
2. Soften the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the onion and garlic until soft, so they sweeten and add no raw bite to the sauce.
3. Brown the livers: Add the chicken livers and hearts. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly, so nothing sticks to the pan.
4. Add mushrooms and wine: Stir in the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the white wine and boil until it reduces slightly.
5. Simmer the tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and basil. Cook gently for 40 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble and bake

6. Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) while you cook the pasta.
7. Part-cook the pasta: Boil the pasta in salted water for half its normal cooking time, then drain. It will finish cooking in the oven. Toss it with a little of the sauce so it doesn’t clump.
8. Layer the dish: Use a round or square baking dish, 10 to 12 inches wide and about 3 inches deep. Layer pasta and sauce, and scatter mozzarella and Parmesan between the layers.
9. Top and bake: Finish with a layer of sauce and a handful of Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, then serve.

Recipe Tips

• Stir the livers nonstop: Livers stick and scorch fast. Keep stirring for the full 15 minutes so they brown evenly and the sauce stays clean-tasting.
• Don’t cook the pasta through: Half the usual boiling time is enough. Fully cooked pasta turns soft and mushy once it bakes in the sauce.
• Seed the tomatoes: Seeds and extra juice make the sauce watery and slightly bitter. Removing them gives a thicker sauce that coats the pasta.
• Cut the mozzarella small: Small cubes melt evenly through the layers. Big chunks pool into stretchy patches instead.

What To Serve With Easy Baked Pasta

Serve this baked pasta straight from the dish with a sharp green salad dressed in lemon and olive oil. A glass of red wine and some crusty bread for the leftover sauce finish the table.

How To Store

• Fridge: Cover the dish and keep leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze portions in airtight containers for 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, never on the counter.
• Reheat: Warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven, covered, until hot all the way through.

FAQs

Can I make baked pasta without chicken livers?

Yes, though the sauce will taste lighter and less rich. Use ground beef or sausage in the same amount and brown it the same way. Cooking time stays about the same.

Can I use dried mushrooms instead of fresh porcini?

Yes. The recipe already allows 14 ounces of regular mushrooms plus 1 ounce of dried porcini, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes. The dried porcini add the deep woodsy flavor fresh ones would give.

Can I assemble it ahead of time?

Yes. Layer the dish, cover it and chill it for up to a day. Bake it straight from the fridge and add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time.

Why did my baked pasta turn out soft?

The pasta was probably boiled too long before baking. Cook it for only half its normal time, because it keeps cooking in the oven as it absorbs the sauce.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 8), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 780 kcal
• Total Fat: 38g
• Total Carbohydrate: 68g
• Dietary Fiber: 5g
• Protein: 42g

Easy Baked Pasta

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

45

minutes

Total time

130

minutes

Penne layered with a chicken liver, mushroom and tomato sauce, plus mozzarella and Parmesan. A generous baked pasta for 8 that you can build ahead and bake in 25 minutes.

Ingredients

• For the pasta and cheese

• 1 3/4 pounds pasta, such as macaroni, ziti or penne, fresh or dried

• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes

• 7 ounces (1 3/4 cups) freshly grated Parmesan

• For the sauce

• 14 ounces fresh porcini, chopped, or 14 ounces cultivated mushrooms plus 1 ounce dried porcini

• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 fluid ounces) olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 1 pound 2 ounces chicken livers and hearts

• 1 small glass white wine (about 1/2 cup)

• 2 1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped

• 1 handful chopped basil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Soak the porcini: If you’re using dried porcini, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain. Skip this step if you’re using fresh porcini.
• Soften the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the onion and garlic until soft, so they sweeten and add no raw bite to the sauce.
• Brown the livers: Add the chicken livers and hearts. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly, so nothing sticks to the pan.
• Add mushrooms and wine: Stir in the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the white wine and boil until it reduces slightly.
• Simmer the tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and basil. Cook gently for 40 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) while you cook the pasta.
• Part-cook the pasta: Boil the pasta in salted water for half its normal cooking time, then drain. It will finish cooking in the oven. Toss it with a little of the sauce so it doesn’t clump.
• Layer the dish: Use a round or square baking dish, 10 to 12 inches wide and about 3 inches deep. Layer pasta and sauce, and scatter mozzarella and Parmesan between the layers.
• Top and bake: Finish with a layer of sauce and a handful of Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, then serve.