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Baked pasta dishes are some of the simplest and most satisfying meals you can whip together on a busy weeknight?they're filling, low cost, and most importantly, kid-friendly. And they're one-dish recipes that you can easily customize to suit your needs. Check out these pasta bakes you can make in your 9×13-inch dish, and consider dinner done.
The Best Baked Ziti
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Photo by Chef John
Chef John’s baked ziti recipe is easy enough to manage on a school night, but this meal feels special enough for a Sunday dinner. The mixture of sweet and spicy sausage gives this baked pasta an extra boost of flavor.
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Bake
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Photo by
In case you weren't aware, a pumpkin's flavor goes far beyond pie and pumpkin bread. It's a great way to add some depth and heartiness to pasta, and this ultra-creamy pasta bake blends sweet pumpkin with savory sausage, bacon, and Parmesan cheese to make a delicious dish.
Linda's Lasagna
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You can easily lighten up lasagna and save a decent amount of dollars by using cottage cheese instead of ricotta—you still get that same taste and comfort, but it’s not as overwhelmingly filling and can be much easier to digest for people with minor dairy sensitivities. Blend the cottage cheese with a mixer beforehand so it’ll have a consistency closer to ricotta.
K-dub's Alfredo Ravioli Bake
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Photo by Andrea Henzarek Weiss
This velvety and cheesy ravioli bake is extremely customizable and works as a great base for experimentation, but it's also a solid meal as written. To speed things up, assemble the ingredients earlier in the day and keep everything refrigerated until you're ready to put it in the oven.
Baked Pasta with Sausage and Baby Portobello Mushroom White Sauce
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Photo by briharris
"So my husband literally inhaled his first plate (are you hungry honey or did you like it?), inhaled his second plate (I had barely gotten halfway through my first), and even though he said he was full, went in for a third helping," community member Firefly9 says. "I made the recipe as stated and will definitely be making it again. Even my picky 9-year-old asked when I would be making it again before he was even done eating. Yep, it's a keeper."
Baked Ziti
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Photo by chibi chef
Once you make this easy baked ziti, get ready to make it again and again—it’s a simple recipe that yields extraordinary results. Be sure to cover it before baking so it won’t lose its moisture or creaminess.
Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake
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Photo by Amanda Ottley
If you need to use up some leftover holiday ham, this easy pasta bake lends enough flavor to truly make it feel reinvented. There’s hardly any fuss involved, and it stands out a bit from the standard beef- or sausage-based pasta bake.
Hearty Vegetable Lasagna
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Photo by *Sherri*
If you don't think vegetarian meals can be hearty, this lasagna is ready to change your mind. It's easy to assemble and welcomes even more vegetables, such as spinach and zucchini, especially if you need to make a substitution. To speed up the cooking time, use oven-ready lasagna noodles.
Stuffed Shells
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Photo by Shea
This recipe actually makes enough food to fill two 9×13-inch baking dishes, so it's a great choice if you need to feed a crowd. Of course, you could always prep half of the recipe in one dish and gift it to a friend or relative.
Baked Spaghetti
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Photo by abluejean70
"The first time I had this I fell in love with it. I could not get the recipe from the person who made it," community member sooky says. "Now, a year later, I found this recipe and LOVE it!!! My family loves it too. It certainly isn't health food but it takes the crown for comfort food."
Asiago Cremini Pasta Bake with Radicchio
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Photo by Buckwheat Queen
Think of this pasta dish as a fancy take on macaroni and cheese with significant Northern Italian influences. The radicchio adds pops of bitterness that cut through and complement the rich, creamy sauce.
Easy Chicken Tetrazzini
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Photo by Tyler
If your grocery store is having a sale on chicken breasts, take it as a sign from the universe to make this hearty and flavorful casserole. It's simple and delicious, and you will likely already have the remaining ingredients on hand.
Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells
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Photo by Meredith
This is the pasta bake for the pasta bake hater—it's not overflowing with cheese, but the other ingredients bring so much flavor that you'll hardly miss it. To add in a little more nutrition, creator and all-star RainbowJewels recommends running fresh spinach through the food processor and adding it to the meat-and-cheese mixture.
Baked Ziti
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Photo by Rae
This baked ziti captures the taste of lasagna but eliminates a good chunk of the work and stress. It also yields a large amount of food, so you'll have leftovers for days.
Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Pasta Bake
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Photo by Vickie Dever
If you've been looking to change up your pasta bakes, your search ends right here. Bacon, ranch dressing mix, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese add some serious edge to plain old pasta and cooked chicken for a simple meal that feels anything but ordinary.
The Best Baked Alfredo Spaghetti
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Photo by Yoly
This recipe gives baked spaghetti a fun, cheesy twist by going all-out with the Alfredo sauce. Adding the marinara and meatball isn't necessary, but it will help stretch out the recipe.
Three Cheese Baked Pasta
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Photo by bellepepper
You may find this recipe's inclusion of sour cream odd, but that same ingredient is what takes this pasta bake from ordinary to incredible. In addition to adding an out-of-this-world creaminess, the sour cream also adds a subtle flavor that enhances the other ingredients.
Pasta Bake
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Photo by Deb C
This six-ingredient pasta bake couldn’t be easier, and you probably have everything you need in your pantry and fridge at this very moment. It’s simple, quick, and kid-friendly, and it’s a perfect contender for your next weeknight dinner.
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