This Baked Zucchini Pasta is a great mid week comfort food. Tender pasta noodles with sauteed zucchini in a rich tomato sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese. Make in advance, pop it in the fridge and bake when ready.
It’s official, it’s the last day of August. How did the summer disappear so fast and who’s sad about it? Well, I’m ready for all things fall. I always am. Every single year! Most kids will be heading back to school this week, if they haven’t already. And I know everyone is busy with a million and one things, which is why dinner needs to be easy. So, why not put this Baked Zucchini Pasta dish on the calendar for the upcoming week? It’s a great tasting pasta dish that you can prep in advance and bake at the end of a long day.
What’s This Pasta Dish Like
- Difficulty – This recipe is pretty straightforward. There are several steps before it all comes together, but you can prep ahead and keep it in the fridge until baking time.
- Taste – I feel this dish is so comforting without being too over the top. It has a rich tomato sauce flavour with the tender pieces of zucchini. And let’s not forget the mozzarella cheese!
- Serving – This will make between 4 – 6 generous sized pasta servings.
Ingredients
- Pasta – I used rigatoni pasta for this pasta bake.
- Olive oil – Olive oil is used to cook the zucchini.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic for the best flavour.
- Zucchini – The zucchini I used was about a medium sized. I cut it into about 1/2 inch slices.
- Spaghetti sauce – I used my Homemade Marinara Sauce, but any spaghetti sauce will work just fine.
- Seasonings – I stuck with basic salt and black pepper.
- Herbs – I added a bunch of finely chopped parsley to the sauce.
- Mozzarella cheese – Just before baking, I topped the dish with shredded mozzarella cheese.
NOTE, The full recipe and ingredient list can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Instructions
- Preheat oven – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and have ready a deep sided 8 inch baking dish.
- Cook pasta – Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.
- Cook zucchini – While the pasta is cooking, cook the zucchini. In a large skillet set over medium high heat, add the olive oil, garlic and zucchini. Stir well and cook for about 10 minutes. The zucchini should be tender and golden.
- Combine pasta bake – In a casserole dish or cast iron skillet, combine the pasta, zucchini and sauce. Add the salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Stir really well to combine.
- Top with cheese and bake – Evenly sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Serve – Remove from oven and serve hot.
Recipe Tips
- Make ahead tips – You can make this dish up to about eight hours before baking. Just cover it and keep it in the fridge until baking. Add an extra 5 minutes to the baking time if making in advance.
- Cook pasta al dente – For baked pasta dishes, it’s best to cook the pasta until it has a bit of a bite to it. The Pasta will continue to cook in the sauce in the oven.
Substitutions
- Pasta – I used rigatoni but fusilli, pasta shells, penne pasta or bowtie pasta will all work well.
- Fresh parsley – Feel free to use dried parsley, oregano or basil. You could also add fresh basil.
- Mozzarella – I used Mozzarella cheese, but you could use Gouda, pepper jack, mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
Serving
Pasta dishes go great with any kind of Salads like the Classic Caprese or the Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Salad. You could just serve it with a leafy green salad or just as it is. And pasta goes great with my all time favourite Garlic Knots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although some recipes state you can put uncooked pasta into the oven, it’s a good idea to cook it before you add it to you baking dish. I like to cook it al dente so it still has a bit of a bite before baking. For firmer pasta, just cook the pasta halfway before adding to the baking dish.
If you want melty cheese on the top of you pasta dish, add it just about 10 minutes before the pasta dish is finished baking. For a crisper cheese topping, add the cheese at the beginning of the baking time.
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Baked Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 zucchini halved length ways and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 6 oz mozzarella grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and have ready a deep sided 8 inch baking dish.
- Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the zucchini. In a large skillet set over medium high heat, add the olive oil, garlic and zucchini. Stir well and cook for about 10 minutes. The zucchini should be tender and golden.
- In a casserole dish or cast iron skillet, combine the pasta, zucchini and sauce. Add the salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Stir really well to combine.
- Evenly sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and serve hot.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Thanks For Stopping by & Hope To See You Soon!
