This easy no boil pasta bake requires only 5 minutes of preparation! And this simple weeknight meal bakes in just 40 minutes, so you can have a crowd-pleasing dinner on the table in under an hour.
A "pasta bake" is simply dry pasta that's baked in a casserole dish, usually with cheese, sauce, and vegetables. The end result is a creamy dish of pasta. And you never have to boil water on the stove!
This recipe was inspired by my sheet pan meals including chicken fajita tray bake and gluten free chicken casserole. There's minimal prep work needed and very few dishes to clean afterwards. Score!
And if you know me, you'll know that I absolutely love noodles. And this no boil pasta bake is one of my favorites. It's almost like magic! But when I do want to boil spaghetti or pasta on the stove, I'm usually whipping up my vegan mac and cheese or garlic shrimp spaghetti. (Both highly recommended, fyi) 😉
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Marinara sauce
- Water
- Cherry tomatoes
- Garlic
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shredded parmesan cheese
How to Make No Boil Pasta Bake
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Pour the uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, water, cherry tomatoes, and minced garlic into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.
Pro Tip: You can use the marinara sauce jar to measure out 24 ounces of water.
3. Cover the whole dish tightly with aluminum foil. You don't want any of the steam to escape during baking.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, stir, then sprinkle on the shredded cheese.
6. Return the pasta to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Enjoy!!
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Use vegetable stock or chicken stock instead of water for a little more flavor.
- Substitute different types of noodles like penne, macaroni, rigatoni, or spaghetti broken into smaller pieces so they stay covered in the liquid.
- Add chopped vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms to the pasta before baking it.
- Stir cooked sliced chicken sausage or meatballs into the baked pasta for extra protein.
Recipe FAQ's
Can you cook raw pasta in the oven?
Yes, you can cook raw dry pasta in the oven without boiling it first. By adding the right amount of liquid and sealing the casserole dish, the pasta cooks perfectly in the oven.
How much water do you need to cook pasta in the oven?
Add a total of 48 ounces or 6 cups of liquid to 16 ounces of dry pasta to cook it in the oven. I combine 24 ounces of marinara sauce with 24 ounces of water.
Should pasta baked covered or uncovered?
Make sure the pan is covered completely and tightly with aluminum foil to avoid any steam from escaping as it bakes for the first 30 minutes. Then once the cheese is added, the pasta finishes baking uncovered to allow the cheese to melt.
How do you know when your baked pasta is done?
My favorite method is the taste test. Try a bite of a noodle - if it's soft but chewy, it's done!
More Pasta Recipes
If you enjoyed this easy no boil pasta bake recipe, try these other delicious pasta recipes!
And if you're looking for what to serve with your delicious pasta, bake a batch of easy gluten free breadsticks!
Easy No Boil Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry pasta
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 24 ounces water (you can use the marinara sauce jar to measure the water)
- 1 cup whole cherry tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Pour the pasta, marinara sauce, water, cherry tomatoes, and minced garlic into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. You can use the marinara sauce jar to measure out 24 ounces of water and get all the marinara sauce out of the jar.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil. You don't want any of the steam to escape during baking.Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, stir, sprinkle on the shredded cheeses.
- Return the pasta to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cheese melts. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Use vegetable or chicken stock instead of water for a little more flavor.
- Use gluten free pasta to make this recipe gluten free.
- Substitute different types of noodles like penne, macaroni, rigatoni or spaghetti broken into smaller pieces so they stay covered in the liquid.
- Add chopped vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, spinach, etc. to the pasta before baking it.
- Stir cooked sliced sausage, meatballs, or shredded chicken into the baked pasta for extra protein.
Lyla
YUMMM! I absolutely loved how simple this was and how delish it tasted. I added chopped sun dried tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes, and I also added some sliced olives. It turned out great!
Quinn
I never knew you could cook pasta in the oven without boiling it! I had to give this a try, and I was so happily surprised at how well it turned out! Definitely saving this one to make on busy weeknights.