Bolognese Pasta Bake

Name: Bolognese Pasta Bake
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 500 g fusilli pasta; 2 portion slow cooker bolognese (or your favourite bolognese); 50 g mature cheddar cheese (grated); 50 g grated mozzarella; 5 g fresh basil (chopped)

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This Bolognese Pasta Bake is a rich and delicious comfort food dish that is a great way to use leftovers. An easy dish to make to feed a hungry crowd, it also freezes well too, making it perfect for batch cooking.

Bolognese pasta in a white baking dish next to a bowl of salad and some garlic bread.

Cold weather calls for comfort food and it doesn't get much more comforting than this Bolognese Pasta Bake. A dish full of your favourite pasta, mixed with leftover bolognese and then loaded with cheesy. Rich, gooey and delicious comfort food that your whole family will love. It's kind of like a lazy lasagna.

We love a pasta bake. They are a great way to save some money on your food shopping, as you can pretty much put anything in them, making them great for a fridge raid, or to use up leftovers.

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Why should you try it?
Step by step
How to make bolognese
Best pasta to use
What cheese to use
Is it healthy?
What to serve it with
FAQs
Extra tips
More pasta recipes
Recipe

Why should you try it?

Easy comfort food
Freezes well
A good way to use up pasta and cheese
Uses up leftover bolognese

Step by step

One: Put the pasta in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.

Two: Get a bowl of your favourite bolognese ready.

Three: Drain the pasta, add it back to the pan with the bolognese and fresh basil and stir well.

A saucepan full of pasta, bolognese and chopped basil.

Four: Pour in to a baking dish and top with cheese.

Pasta bolognese in a baking dish covered in grated cheese.

Five: Cook in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 for 20 minutes, until heated through.

Bolognese pasta bake in a baking dish covered in melted cheese.

How to make bolognese

Everyone should know how to make a classic bolognese (or a vegetarian version if that's your thing). I would imagine that bolognese is something that every family likes, so it's worth learning to make a really good one, as it will become a regular on your meal plan.

A good bolognese is all about the slow and low cooking, which is why we use a slow cooker to make a low effort, but delicious bolognese. Our Slow Cooker Bolognese is something you will make time and time again, and any leftovers are perfect for this pasta bake.

If you have your own favourite bolognese recipe, then feel free to use that. Just save 2 generous portions to be used in this recipe.

Best pasta to use

We used fusilli, as that is what we have in the cupboard to use up. But you could use penne, macaroni or conchiglie. I prefer fusilli, because it is bigger and the twists allow the bolognese to cling to it - but that is just a preference thing.

What cheese to use

I think a mix of cheese is good here. I really love the strong flavour of a mature cheddar, as it means that you can use less of it but still have an intense flavour. But, I also like how melty mozzarella goes, so we have used a mixture of the two. Gouda, Parmesan and Emmental all melt well too.

An orange plate with a large pile of grated cheese.

Is it healthy?

I always think that pasta bakes are a great opportunity to hide a load of vegetables in a dish - so this is perfect for fussy eaters. You could pack the bolognese full of veggies like mushrooms, carrot, peppers and aubergine and then when it is all mixed in with the pasta, add some grate courgette (zucchini) and some spinach too. All the greens!

We have loaded this with cheese, because, well, cheese. But you could save yourself some calories and halve the cheese.

What to serve it with

It is a pretty epic and filling dish as it is, but if you are making this to feed and crowd and want some sides to go with it, then of course we have some suggestions for you.

FAQs

Can pasta bake be frozen?

Yes, this is a great batch cooking meal, so make extras and then portion it out to put in the freezer. Make sure you let it cool down completely before freezing.
To reheat, make sure it is fully defrosted and then put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Always make sure that it is heated all the way through before serving.

Extra tips

Make this a little bit more indulgent by mixing some breadcrumbs with the cheese before crumbling it on top.
Give this dish a green veggie boost my mixing in some grated courgette (zucchini) and spinach when mixing it all together.
Like a kick of spice to your meals? Add some red chilli flakes in to the mix.
Add a can of kidney beans too and you have yourself a chili con carne pasta bake.
You can make a vegan version of this my making a lentil or mushroom bolognese and mixing it in to pasta and topping with your favourite vegan cheese.
You can make this dish creamier by mixing some cream cheese in to the cooked pasta.

More pasta recipes

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