Simple Baked Pasta With Bolognese Sauce

By
Katie Workman
Katie Workman
Award-winning food writer, blogger, and author of two cookbooks. She frequently appears on broadcast media sharing her expertise.
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Updated on 03/14/22
Simple baked pasta with bolognese sauce

http://themom100.com

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 4 servings

An Italian, red sauce-y, baked pasta dish is a hearty meal on a chilly night. This one is kind of like an unstructured lasagna. You can use any meat sauce (or even a vegetarian tomato sauce) in place of the bolognese. Just make a simple green salad and you are good to go. 

You can use rigatoni, ziti, penne, whatever you like for the pasta—let your kid pick the shape. Kids can also measure the ingredients, and slightly older kids can grate the mozzarella. Add some red pepper flakes if you want a bit of a kick.

You can assemble this dish in the morning or even the night before and keep it in the fridge, then bake it right before serving.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound rigatoni, or other short tubular pasta

  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 2 cups bolognese sauce, store-bought or homemade

  • 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 

  3. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions.

  4. While the pasta is cooking mix together the ricotta, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.

  5. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the bolognese sauce and stir to combine. Transfer the pasta to a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Spoon tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the top of the pasta, tucking it down into the pasta slightly. Sprinkle the top with the grated mozzarella.

  6. Bake the casserole for about 30 minutes until everything is hot and the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown. 

  7. Serve hot and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
545 Calories
31g Fat
28g Carbs
37g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 545
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 15g 76%
Cholesterol 106mg 35%
Sodium 694mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 37g
Vitamin C 10mg 51%
Calcium 596mg 46%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 527mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)