This No Boil Pasta Bake recipe combines mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and penne pasta for a delicious and easy no boil Caprese Pasta Bake!
Let’s talk about this no boil caprese pasta bake.
I love this no boil pasta recipe.
There’s no pre-boiling, no sauteeing, and no dirty pans. Just one knife, one cutting board, a casserole dish, and a spatula! Oh, and a cheese grater.
Caprese pasta bake, where have you been all my life?
Here’s the run-down on how to make this super easy no boil pasta bake dinner:
First, chop up some veggies. I used red and yellow bell peppers, cremini mushrooms, and yellow onion. You can swap these out for any vegetables you like, as long as you still use 2 cups total.
Zucchini would be an excellent choice. I also wouldn’t judge you if you just used a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen peppers and onions.
Grate some mozzarella cheese, pick some fresh basil leaves, and mince a few cloves of garlic.
Pour a jar of your favorite marina sauce into a 9 x 13 baking dish, then fill the jar up with water and pour that into the dish, too. Stir it together, then add in the veggies, garlic, basil, and cheese. Dump in the dry pasta and a splash of balsamic vinegar, then give the whole thing a good stir.
If your dish looks like the picture above, you should stir in another 1/4-½ cup water to make sure all of your pasta is submerged in liquid.
Cover the whole thing in foil, and bake it for half an hour while you do whatever you want to do.
After thirty minutes, remove the foil and lay slices of fresh mozzarella over the top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the pasta is tender.
If you want those beautiful brown spots on your cheese, switch on your broiler and let the direct heat work its magic. Just don’t leave it in there for very long, things get bubbly and delicious in mere seconds.
Top your creation with more basil leaves and halved cherry tomatoes.
Now eat it.
Here’s the Recipe!
No Boil Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 24 oz “jar” water + ½ cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup full fat greek yogurt
- 1 cup diced red - yellow, or orange bell pepper (about 1 medium pepper)
- 1 cup diced yellow onion - about half an onion
- 1/4 pound cremini mushrooms - roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves - divided
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 lb Mozzarella cheese – ¼ pound shredded - remaining ½ pound thinly sliced into circles
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes - halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a 9x13 casserole dish, whisk together the marinara sauce, water, salt, and greek yogurt.
- Fold in the bell pepper, onion, mushroom, garlic, 1 cup basil leaves, balsamic, and ¼ pound shredded cheese. Fold in the dry pasta. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Stir, arrange the cheese slices on top, and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
- Top with halved tomatoes and remaining basil leaves.
I just made a pasta bake for dinner last night and I was so impatient with boiling the pasta. I was rushed for time I kept thinking what a waste of time! And now I found your great recipe, thanks so much!
I don’t put marbles in my pasta bake.
I must have lost my marbles!
This is absolutely brilliant, you’ve managed to make a casserole look fresh and elegant!