Baked Pasta Recipes - Cooking Light

Photo: John Autry

Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

The casserole idea is this: Disparate elements are combined, sauced, topped, and baked until yummy. In the noodle casserole, pasta and sauce canoodle in the oven so that the former absorbs the flavor of the latter and softens deliciously, while the cheese topping merrily bubbles and browns. In this collection, we apply these principles to lighter expressions of casserole perfection. Let's get gooey.

First up, Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese makes use of casarecce pasta—a short noodle with a curled edge that provides a large groove to hold the creamy sauce. If you can't find it, use fusilli, campanelle, or radiatore. Use a large, deep pot for the pasta so the spinach will fit inside, as well.

View Recipe: Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

Photo: Johnny Autry

Bacon and Butternut Pasta

Broth, thickened with flour and enriched with crème fraîche, forms the savory sauce in this dish. We like the addition of earthy, hearty kale which helps balance the sweetness from the squash.

View Recipe: Bacon and Butternut Pasta

Photo: Johnny Autry

Mushroom Lasagna

Rich porcini broth and nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano add deep umami taste to this vegetarian lasagna. Plain white button mushrooms will work in place of cremini. Serve with a simple green salad for a satisfying meal.

View Recipe: Mushroom Lasagna

Photo: Johnny Autry

Shrimp-Stuffed Shells

The shrimp goes into the pasta shells raw to prevent it from overcooking while the pasta bakes. Look for potato starch near the cornstarch in your supermarket.

View Recipe: Shrimp-Stuffed Shells

Photo: Johnny Autry

Quick Pastitsio

This creamy baked pasta comes together quickly. Melted, gooey part-skim mozzarella cheese makes it even more decadent—without leaving you feeling guilty. Use any short pasta—ziti or rotini also work.

View Recipe: Quick Pastitsio

Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini combines cooked vermicelli, chicken, and mushrooms with a rich sherry–Parmesan cheese sauce. The mixture is sprinkled with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and baked until bubbly and golden. This is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken.

Parmesan is full of flavor, so a little goes a long way. We recommend buying the real thing, which has Parmigiano-Reggiano printed on the rind. It has a sharper taste and a firmer texture than domestic Parmesan.

View Recipe: Chicken Tetrazzini

Photo: John Autry and Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

Add pops of color to baked ziti with fresh summer veggies like squash, zucchini, and tomato. This quick and versatile recipe can be easily adjusted based on your favorite veggies or what you have on hand.

View Recipe: Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Semolina Lasagna with Spicy Amatriciana

Legendary Italian cook Lidia Bastianich shared her grandmother's surprisingly easy recipes for from-scratch homemade pasta, including this Semolina Lasagna with Spicy Amatriciana, whose tomato-and-bacon sauce packs a red-pepper punch, balanced by creamy melted mozzarella.

View Recipe: Semolina Lasagna with Spicy Amatriciana

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Fresh spinach, chicken, and a combination of cheeses make this dish comforting enough for the last days of winter yet fresh enough for the first days of spring.

You can also cook the pasta mixture in individual 8-ounce ramekins, and bake for 15 minutes.

View Recipe: Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese Recipe

There are more than 50 user reviews of this casserole recipe, but nobody could have given it a higher compliment than Lauren. "This is the recipe that made my boyfriend fall in love with me. I am a huge fan of making dinners ahead of time and this recipe lent itself well to that. The longer it sits and melds, the better it is. Yummy!"

View Recipe: Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese

Photo: Johnny Autry

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna

Full of warm flavors—butternut squash, sweet caramelized onion, fresh sage, and even a hint of nutmeg—this is the perfect company-worthy dish if you want to impress. Serve with a fresh salad of grapefruit and fennel, and sip our Pomegranate Fizz.

View Recipe: Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Two-Pepper Rigatoni and Cheese

Red bell pepper and pickled jalapeño pepper get added to the mix in this grown-up baked mac and cheese. "This is a great basic recipe because there are many possibilities for variations with different pastas and cheeses," says reader and recipe creater, Jeff Towle. "You can also use individual gratin dishes if you want a special presentation."

View Recipe: Two-Pepper Rigatoni and Cheese

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Baked Vegetable Lasagna

To help ensure that the cheesy layer remains moist and creamy, don’t press out the extra water from the tofu. Serve the lasagna with breadsticks and a green salad.

View Recipe: Baked Vegetable Lasagna

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Sausage-Stuffed Manicotti

One of our Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest finalists, this recipe for Sausage-Stuffed Manicotti was one of our top picks in the Family Dinners category. Says Beverly O'Ferrall, of Linkwood, Maryland, "I developed this recipe many years ago. Since then, I've lightened it with turkey sausage, and I use smaller amounts of flavorful cheeses, where a little goes a long way. Like most baked pastas, this dish requires some time, but it's well worth the effort."

View Recipe: Sausage-Stuffed Manicotti

Photo: José Picayo

Truffled Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Hearty and rich, this vegetarian lasagna will satisfy the most die-hard of meat eaters. You don't have to spend a lot on truffle oil to make this luxurious meatless lasagna; look for small 2- or 3-ounce bottles, which are less likely to go bad before you use up the oil.

View Recipe: Truffled Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Mushroom Rigatoni Bake

Two types of mushrooms along with a full cup of Italian Asiago cheese give body and flavor to the velvety sauce, which is laced with sherry.

View Recipe: Mushroom Rigatoni Bake

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Tex-Mex Lasagna

Bottled salsa and canned tomatoes are the shortcut to a zesty sauce for this unique dish. It's in the familiar Italian layered-noodle form, but the flavors and fillings―cumin, black beans, corn―are pure Southwest. Try different flavors of salsa to shake up this dish, whether with the herbs and spices of a mild variety or the fiery heat of a spicy one.

View Recipe: Tex-Mex Lasagna

Photo: Johnny Autry

Wild Mushroom Pastitsio

This meatless version of pastitsio swaps ground beef for wild mushrooms but keeps the creamy, cheesy goodness of the classic dish. Entertaining? Serve alongside Swiss Chard with Crème Fraîche and an earthy pinot noir.

View Recipe: Wild Mushroom Pastitsio

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Italian Sausage Puttanesca

If you're in the mood for something spicy rather than creamy, this is it. For a little less heat, use mild turkey Italian sausage instead of hot.

View Recipe: Italian Sausage Puttanesca

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Garden-Style Lasagna

Vegetable lasagna is a crowd-pleaser and a classic make-ahead dish. You can use precut onions, matchstick-cut carrots, and broccoli, in addition to precooked noodles, to speed up preparation. If you make it ahead, let it cool completely, then cover and chill. The next day, heat single servings in the microwave. Freeze leftovers for dinner.

View Recipe: Garden-Style Lasagna

Photo: Randy Mayor

Artichoke, Spinach, and Feta Stuffed Shells

To fill the shells, simply spoon the cheese mixture into a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; squeeze out the air. Snip a one-inch hole in one corner of the bag, and pipe the filling into the shells.

View Recipe: Artichoke, Spinach, and Feta Stuffed Shells

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

This is mac and cheese for adults. It's got all the creamy comfort of the original, with the sophisticated flavors of Italian cheeses standing in for the traditional cheddar. The garlicky breadcrumb topping adds crunch and visual interest. If you want an even more elegant presentation, bake individual servings in ramekins or gratin dishes for each guest.

View Recipe: Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

Photo: Randy Mayor

Easy Meatless Manicotti

Filled with a satisfying blend of spinach and three cheeses, the stuffed shells simmer in tomato-basil pasta sauce as the dish bakes in the oven.

View Recipe: Easy Meatless Manicotti

Photo: Randy Mayor

Baked Rigatoni with Beef

Rigatoni is a great family weeknight meal. Slightly undercook the pasta for this classic hamburger casserole because it cooks again in the oven.

View Recipe: Baked Rigatoni with Beef

Zucchini and Basil Lasagna

The oven-ready noodles and bottled sauce make this a quick recipe to put together.

Tip: Summer squash's mild taste and cool flavor make it a perfect for blending with other ingredients. Look for firm squash with little blemishing; refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to three days.

View Recipe: Zucchini and Basil Lasagna

25 Baked Pasta Recipes

Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

Bacon and Butternut Pasta

Mushroom Lasagna

Shrimp-Stuffed Shells

Quick Pastitsio

Chicken Tetrazzini

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

Semolina Lasagna with Spicy Amatriciana

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese Recipe

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna

Two-Pepper Rigatoni and Cheese

Baked Vegetable Lasagna

Sausage-Stuffed Manicotti

Truffled Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Mushroom Rigatoni Bake

Tex-Mex Lasagna

Wild Mushroom Pastitsio

Italian Sausage Puttanesca

Garden-Style Lasagna

Artichoke, Spinach, and Feta Stuffed Shells

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

Easy Meatless Manicotti

Baked Rigatoni with Beef

Zucchini and Basil Lasagna