Quick baked pasta with mozzarella and a tomato sauce, a simple and indulgent vegetarian baked pasta. In our family baked pasta is one thing only and it’s made with our Sicilian meat Ragù, a little different from the typical Ragù alla bolognese, but sometimes there’s no time and to make the kids happy you always need to invent something.
If you often need to put on the table quick and economical first courses, but at the same time tempting, this clever baked pasta will surely save you from embarrassment and will make everyone happy, not only your children but also the grumbling husbands.
It’s a very simple first course to prepare in very little time, indulgent and full of melting mozzarella, a guaranteed success also thanks to the enticing gratin that will form on the surface.
Let’s go to the kitchen and make it together, but as always before, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my other recipes, you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.
Do you want to read this recipe in English? Here it is: Easy baked pasta.

Take a look:

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very economical
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 5
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients to make the quick baked pasta

14 oz pasta
1 onion (medium)
1 2/3 cups tomato passata
1 oz cheese (such as Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/4 cup grated))
14 oz mozzarella (pizza-style mozzarella of good quality)
to taste salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste basil

Clever quick baked pasta with mozzarella and tomato: preparation…

Pan
Pot
Baking dish

Preparation of the quick baked pasta

Peel and wash an onion, chop it and sauté it in olive oil.
Add the passata, season with salt and let it simmer over low heat for 20–25 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the water on for the pasta and drain it al dente.
Cut the mozzarella into cubes. You can use a good pizza-style mozzarella (the cheap kind is not suitable) or a classic one which you should crumble and let drain for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Dress the pasta with the tomato sauce you prepared, add 2/3 of the mozzarella and mix.
Pour half of the pasta into a baking dish, add some mozzarella cubes, cover with the remaining pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan and add a few more mozzarella cubes.
Bake for about 10–15 minutes, or until you get an even golden top.
Remove from the oven, let it cool slightly and serve while the cheese is still melty.
Enjoy the baked pasta hot or warm. Store any leftovers in the fridge and consume within 24 hours after reheating (I reheat it in a pan, letting it brown well on the bottom and then turning it over).