Bolognese Pasta Bake (Printable)

Comforting oven-baked pasta with rich meat sauce and golden cheese topping.

# Ingredient List:

→ Bolognese Sauce

01 - 2 tbsp olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery sticks, diced
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1.1 lbs ground beef
07 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
08 - 28 oz canned chopped tomatoes
09 - 1 tsp dried oregano
10 - 1 tsp dried basil
11 - 1 bay leaf
12 - 1 tsp salt
13 - ½ tsp ground black pepper
14 - ½ cup red wine
15 - 1 tsp sugar

→ Pasta

16 - 14 oz dried rigatoni or penne pasta
17 - 1 tbsp salt for pasta water

→ Cheese Topping

18 - 5.3 oz grated mozzarella cheese
19 - 1.8 oz grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes until softened.
03 - Add ground beef and cook, stirring, until browned.
04 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, oregano, basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper, red wine, and sugar.
05 - Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Remove bay leaf.
06 - Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
07 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked pasta with Bolognese sauce.
08 - Transfer mixture to lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over top.
09 - Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbling.
10 - Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce develops incredible depth from the slow simmer, making your whole house smell amazing
  • Everything happens in one pan and one baking dish, meaning less cleanup and more time enjoying dinner
  • The combination of mozzarella and Parmesan creates that perfect stretchy, crispy topping everyone fights over
02 -
  • The pasta will continue cooking in the oven, so undercook it by about 2 minutes in the boiling water to prevent mushiness
  • Letting the bake rest for those 5 minutes seems impossible but helps the sauce set slightly so servings hold their shape
03 -
  • Grate your own cheese from blocks instead of buying pre-shredded, since it melts into that gorgeous, cohesive layer instead of staying separated
  • If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of pasta cooking water before combining, which helps the sauce cling to every piece

Return