For Italian food lovers looking for a simple, tasty, one-pan meal, this cheesy Italian bake recipe delivers. Combining classic flavors like tomato sauce, pasta, sausage, and veggies, it’s a crowdpleasing dish you’ll make over and over.
Choosing the Right Pasta for Baking
When selecting pasta for baking casseroles, opt for shapes that hold sauce well like:
- Rigatoni
- Large shells
- Wagon wheels
- Lasagna noodles
- Pipe rigate
These sturdier pastas maintain their shape and don’t become mushy throughout the baking process.
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Precooking the Pasta
For most casserole recipes, you’ll boil the pasta first before assembling and baking. Underbaked pasta leads to a dense, gummy texture. Cook until al dente with a tiny bite left.
However, some oven-ready pastas skip this step. Check your package instructions.
Avoiding a Watery Bake
If your baked pasta turns out soggy, stir in a tablespoon of corn starch before baking. The starch soaks up excess moisture. Overcrowding the dish can also cause wateriness, so use properly sized baking pans.
To Cover or Not to Cover
Covering your Italian bake while it bakes prevents the cheese from browning too quickly or the top layer of pasta from drying out. Remove the foil or lid near the end to melt and brown the cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Alongside the hearty Italian bake, serve:
- A fresh salad
- Garlic bread or biscuits
- Sauteed vegetables like zucchini or broccoli
Tips for Italian Bake Success
Follow these tips for the perfect bake every time:
- Don’t overbake, which dries out the pasta. Carefully follow recipe time and temp.
- Closely follow the ingredients and instructions for best results.
Customize It!
Personalize this recipe by adding or substituting ingredients like:
- Different vegetables – spinach, onion, peppers
- Chicken or beef instead of sausage
- Unique pasta shapes
- Various Italian cheeses – parmesan, asiago, etc.
Best Italian Bake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts diced
- 1 pound Italian sausage sliced
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 red bell peppers chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound pasta cooked al dente
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 jars pasta sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil.
- Cook chicken and sausage 5 minutes.
- Add onion and bell peppers cooking until softened.
- Stir in Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
- Drain excess fat from skillet.
- In a baking dish combine pasta, meat mixture and sauce.
- Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake 30 minutes covered. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more.
