PASTA BAKE
A pasta bake is a classic midweek family meal, as it is cheap and easy to put together, and usually goes down well with everybody! We’ve brought together some expert tips and simple steps to take your pasta bakes from good to great.
A pasta bake is a classic midweek family meal, as it is cheap and easy to put together, and usually goes down well with everybody! We’ve brought together some expert tips and simple steps to take your pasta bakes from good to great.
Why is a pasta bake so great?
Pasta bakes are simple, cheap and delicious, and they lend themselves well to making a big batch for future meals.
Veg makes a great addition to pasta bakes, particularly for fussier eaters as the sauce provides lots of flavour and the veg is more likely to be accepted. Pasta bakes also keep well, so you can make it the day before and cover and chill (or freeze) until you are ready to stick it in the oven to heat through and serve, making it a great meal for busy nights.
Our Simple Pasta Bake recipe below is just that – a basic mix of optional meat (or veggie alternative) + pasta + sauce + cheese. If you are just starting out, this is the place to start! If you already have the basics and want to work on slowly improving your recipe using our Step by Step method, try our Next Steps Pasta Bake.
Kids who engage with healthy foods are more likely to eat them, so to set yourself up for success, we’ve included tips to get kids involved in the second recipe to keep things simple.
Simple Pasta Bake
Ingredients:
Meat/veggie alternative, if using*
Pasta (about 50g dried per person)
Jar of sauce (usually tomato)
Grated cheese (a small handful per person)
Not made a pasta bake before, or not ready to try the next steps? Start here!
Method:
-
Preheat oven to 190C/gas 5.
-
Cook the meat/veggie alternative (if using) according to pack instructions (usually just a case of frying in a little oil until browned and cooked all the way through).
-
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but for 1-2 mins less (usually just boiling for 8 mins or so) then drain.
-
Add pasta to a casserole dish along with the meat (if using) and sauce, stir well and top with some grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins, until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling.
*You don’t need to add meat/fish or a veggie alternative to a pasta bake, but if you want to, you can use most here – perhaps try starting with chicken breast pieces, a few sausages chopped into bite-size pieces, a tin of tuna or sardines, or some beef or veggie mince
There is no need to go any further with this recipe until you are confident with it and feel up for the next step, but if you want to add some veg straightaway, see our tips below for ideas of where to start.
Once you have the basics it’s time to slowly improve your recipe using our Step by Step method to a bit better.
There are three ways to step-by-step your way to better pasta bake – start where you feel most comfortable and if in doubt, start with a few veg.
Remember, the MOST important thing is that the family enjoys the meal! These changes and swaps can take as long as is needed. Small simple improvements over time may not even be noticed!
add veg
Aim for 2 handfuls of veg per person in the long-run, but it’s better to go slow and get there than to rush to the finish line and find no one is there with you. For the best chance of success, start with a veg you know the family likes, don’t try to hide it, and build up over time. Starting with frozen veg can also mean less waste, keeping costs down, and being able to add a small amount simply.
We’ve added our top suggestions and how and when to add them to the recipe below.
better sauce
Swapping a ready-made sauce for a homemade sauce can often help the budget as well as the salt and sugar content. If making your own sauce is 20 mins you can’t spare, adding a tin of chopped tomatoes or passata is an easy, cheaper, instant way to a healthier sauce. Add flavour with a pinch of salt, maybe some Worcestershire sauce and/or some mixed dried herbs to taste.
reduce meat
Try a tin of cooked lentils or beans (drained and rinsed) to replace half (or all of) the meat, added for the last couple of mins of cooking before assembling and baking. If you think it will be turned down, try starting with just half a tin and perhaps even blending it into the sauce and just reduce the meat while adding more lentils or beans slowly each time you make the meal.
Next Steps Pasta Bake
Ingredients:
Meat/veggie alternative, if using* (try to use a little less than you usually would)
1 tin of beans or lentils
Pasta (about 50g dried pasta per person)
500g homemade tomato sauce or 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes or 1 jar/pack of passata (500-700g)
A handful per person of 1-2 veg (see suggestions in recipe)
Grated cheese (one small handful per person)
We suggest you do this in stages, slowly, and go as far as works for your family, here’s how your final recipe might come together…
Method:
-
Preheat oven to 190C/gas 5.
-
Cook the meat/veggie alternative (if using) according to pack instructions (usually just a case of frying in a little oil until browned and cooked all the way through).
-
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but cooking for 1-2 mins less (usually just boiling for 8 mins or so) then drain.
-
Add pasta to a casserole dish along with the meat (if using) and 1 tin of beans or lentils (butter/cannellini/kidney beans or green lentils are especially great here) and sauce, any frozen veg or cooked fresh veg (or leftover ones!), stir well and top with some grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins, until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling.
-
If you are using fresh veg, try to cook it first (perhaps with the meat if you are cooking some) until it is softened. Great choices are: diced carrots, celery and/or onion, sliced mushrooms, sliced peppers, diced sweet potato or squash, diced aubergine or courgette… Alternatively, you could stir through some fresh leafy greens like spinach or kale with the sauce before baking!
- If using frozen veg, you can usually get away with just chucking it in before stirring and baking! Try: peas, sweetcorn, mixed veg, Mediterranean veg, sliced carrots, sliced peppers, sliced mushrooms, shredded cabbage, green beans, broad/edamame beans, diced sweet potato or squash, broccoli florets (defrost these first as they might take longer to cook otherwise)…
*You don’t need to add meat/fish or a veggie alternative to a pasta bake, but if you want to, you can use most here – perhaps try starting with chicken breast pieces, a few sausages chopped into bite-size pieces, a tin of tuna or sardines, or some beef or veggie mince
Engaging Kids
Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating. Find out more here.
Kids in the kitchen
Get younger kids mixing the sauce and cooked pasta together, helping you grate the cheese and scattering over the pasta, and chucking a couple of handfuls of your chosen veg into the pan.
Older kids might be ready to learn how to chop some fresh veg to add at the start of the meal, boil the kettle and cook the pasta, and help you stir all the hot ingredients together!
Activities
Use arts & crafts as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. While you make your pasta bake, why not set a child up with:
Find more arts & crafts and puzzles & games on our website.
Sensory
Why not start with a couple of slices of carrot and get them to describe what how they sound – does it remind them of anything? Maybe it sounds like giant footsteps or an axe chopping wood. If they take a bite with headphones on does it become louder? If they won’t put it in their mouths, can they snap it with their hands close to their ear to hear it? See if they want to chuck some into the pasta bake after having engaged with them.
Watch Ruth Platt’s video on sensory activities with carrots for more inspiration, or get more tips, games and videos over on our Sensory page.
Serving
Why not let your child help you meal plan? Let them pick out the veg they want to buy to add to the pasta bake, and the flavour of the sauce so they feel it is their meal. See if they want to help you with the shopping, too. Make sure to praise them for their choices when it comes to making and serving the meal, it may encourage them to eat it as they take ownership!
Get more ideas over on our Roles for Kids page.
Family Favourite Recipes
Use our step-by-step methods to slowly improve these favourites, too…
DO you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
SIMPLY VEG
Need to get your kids eating more veg?
Our only goal is to help parents and carers serve up affordable, simple food their families will love. We know that takes more than a few recipes, so we've got all the hacks and advice you'll need. Join now. It's 100% free and 100% simple.
Follow Us on Social