This Pasta Bake recipe is an easy make-ahead meal that can be made with ziti, rigatoni, or penne. It’s filled with a meaty marinara sauce and topped with a cheesy ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese.

Be sure to serve this with a side of my garlic bread with cheese, and try my ravioli lasagna recipe next!

Cheesy Pasta Bake on top of a white plate with a fork and fresh parsley.

BEST Pasta Bake

This Pasta Bake Recipe is the ultimate comfort food! Tender pasta is tossed in a flavorful, meaty marinara sauce and layered with a creamy ricotta mixture and plenty of melted mozzarella cheese.

I love making this when I’m feeding a crowd because it’s easy to prepare ahead of time, you can use your favorite pasta, and it’s always a hit with family and friends! Serve it with Garlic Bread and a simple salad for an easy, satisfying dinner! 

How to Make it

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than al dente. Combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, 1 whisked egg, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and set aside. Cook ground beef and onions in a large skillet. Drain grease and add seasonings. 

A bowl of Ricotta Mix next to a skillet with ground beef and onions.

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Add marinara sauce and heat through. Combine pasta with 3/4 meat sauce and add to a 9×13 inch casserole dish.

A saucepan with meat sauce next to a casserole dish with Pasta in meat sauce.

Top with dollops of ricotta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Cover and bake at 375° for 20 minutes. 

Making a pasta bake by adding a ricotta cheese mixture on top of pasta with sauce.

Remove cover and increase to 400°. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with garlic bread with cheese.

A Pasta Bake in a casserole dish with mozzarella cheese before and after baking.

Make-Ahead Method

  • Prepare the meat sauce: Cook the meat, onions, and seasonings as outlined. Stir in the marinara sauce, remove from the heat, and let cool slightly.
  • Cook the pasta: Boil the pasta until just shy of al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain well.
  • Assemble: Assemble the casserole as outlined, allowing the components to cool before covering. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
  • Bake: When baking directly from the refrigerator, plan on adding approximately 15–25 minutes of covered baking time. Bake covered at 375°F for 35–45 minutes, or until the center is heated through. Add the remaining mozzarella cheese, increase the oven temperature to 400°F, and bake uncovered for 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Freezing: The assembled casserole can also be frozen. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before baking, allowing 24–48 hours. Bake as outlined above, adding extra covered baking time as needed.

Pro Tips

  • Sauce: This recipe uses a generous amount of sauce, and for good reason! The pasta absorbs a surprising amount as it bakes, so don’t be tempted to cut back too much. I love Rao’s Marinara for its rich flavor, and Carbone is another great option.
  • Pasta: Ziti, penne, and rigatoni are all great choices because their tubular shapes hold onto the sauce. I prefer rigati varieties, which have ridges that help the sauce cling to the pasta.
  • Don’t Overcook the Pasta: Cook it 2 minutes shy of al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven. This helps prevent the pasta from becoming too soft.
  • Meat Options: Feel free to use any combination of ground beef, sausage, pork, or veal. I love combining ground beef and Italian sausage for extra flavor!
  • Cheese: Shred the mozzarella and grate the Parmesan from a block for the best flavor and consistency. Low-moisture, whole-milk mozzarella is key. It melts beautifully and gives you that gooey, cheesy topping!
  • Ricotta: Whole-milk ricotta gives the cheese mixture a rich, creamy consistency. Be sure to mix it thoroughly with the other ingredients so it’s easy to distribute throughout the casserole.
  • Serve this with: Garlic Bread with Cheese or No Knead Bread with Olive Oil Bread Dip!

Storage

  • Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze: Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months for best quality.
  • Reheat: Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or larger portions in a covered baking dish at 350°F until heated through. Add a splash of marinara sauce if needed to keep the pasta moist.

A spoon scooping a cheesy Pasta Bake up from a casserole dish.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • Rao’s Marinara Sauce– Always my marinara sauce of choice, it’s definitely restaurant quality. Carbone is another great option.
  • 9 x 13 baking dish The perfect size for almost any pasta bake/casserole recipe.
  • Silicone Spatula– Easy for gently combining cooked pasta with the sauce.
  • Box Cheese Grater– Always shred cheese from a block for creamy/melty results. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose and prevents it from melting as well in soups/sauces.
  • Measuring spoons I love that these are magnetic. They keep my drawer neat.

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A white plate with Cheesy Pasta Bake with meat and a fork in the background.

A white plate with penne in a meat sauce topped with cheese and fresh parsley.

Pasta Bake Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
5 from 30 ratings
Servings: 8 people
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This Pasta Bake Recipe is easy to make ahead of time with ziti, rigatoni, or penne! Tender pasta is tossed in a hearty, meaty marinara sauce and layered with creamy ricotta and melted mozzarella cheese. It's the ultimate comfort food!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. penne, see notes
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1 lb. ground beef, see notes
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: salt, Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, Italian seasoning
  • 2 (24 oz.) jars marinara sauce, see notes

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and 1 cup (not all) of the mozzarella cheese and set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while you proceed with the next steps. Once boiling, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package instructions for al dente. Drain well. (Set a timer to avoid overcooking.)
  • Cook the ground beef and diced onions over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the marinara sauce. Stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat.
  • Combine the drained pasta with about ¾ of the sauce mixture and transfer it to a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add dollops of the ricotta mixture over the top. Top with remaining meat sauce.
  • Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and top with remaining 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese. Increase oven temp to 400°F and bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes, until the top begins to bubble and brown slightly.
  • Remove from the oven and let rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. This allows the cheese and sauce to set slightly. Serve with garlic bread with cheese and enjoy!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Marinara Sauce: This recipe uses a generous amount of sauce, and for good reason! The pasta absorbs a surprising amount as it bakes, so don't be tempted to cut back too much. I love Rao's Marinara for its rich flavor, and Carbone is another great option.
  • Pasta: Ziti, penne, and rigatoni are all great choices because their tubular shapes hold onto the sauce. I prefer rigati varieties, which have ridges that help the sauce cling to the pasta.
  • Don't Overcook the Pasta: Cook it 2 minutes shy of al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven. This helps prevent the pasta from becoming too soft.
  • Meat Options: Feel free to use any combination of ground beef, sausage, pork, or veal. I love combining ground beef and Italian sausage for extra flavor!
  • Cheese: Shred the mozzarella and grate the Parmesan from a block for the best flavor and consistency. Low-moisture, whole-milk mozzarella is key. It melts beautifully and gives you that gooey, cheesy topping!
  • Ricotta: Whole-milk ricotta gives the cheese mixture a rich, creamy consistency. Be sure to mix it thoroughly with the other ingredients so it's easy to distribute throughout the casserole.
  • Serve this with: Garlic Bread with Cheese or No Knead Bread with Olive Oil Bread Dip!
Make-Ahead Method:
  • Prepare the meat sauce: Cook the meat, onions, and seasonings as outlined. Stir in the marinara sauce, remove from the heat, and let cool slightly.
  • Cook the pasta: Boil the pasta until just shy of al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain well.
  • Assemble: Assemble the casserole as outlined, allowing the components to cool before covering. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
  • Bake: When baking directly from the refrigerator, plan on adding approximately 15–25 minutes of covered baking time. Bake covered at 375°F for 35–45 minutes, or until the center is heated through. Add the remaining mozzarella cheese, increase the oven temperature to 400°F, and bake uncovered for 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Freezing: The assembled casserole can also be frozen. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before baking, allowing 24–48 hours. Bake as outlined above, adding extra covered baking time as needed.
Storage:
  • Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze: Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months for best quality.
  • Reheat: Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or larger portions in a covered baking dish at 350°F until heated through. Add a splash of marinara sauce if needed to keep the pasta moist.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 8 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 523kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 149mg, Sodium: 1391mg, Potassium: 995mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1209IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 334mg, Iron: 5mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Author: Stephanie