Pasta Bake

[PopPopParty]

If you're making pasta bake from a jar (no judgement pls ) do you follow instructions or wing it?

DP likes it cooked to the letter, weighing, jar sauce, water, oven cook for 5 hours requisite amount of time.

Whereas I cook the pasta first (without weighing), then chuck in veg, stir in the sauce and put cheese on top and into the oven cook for 20 mins.

He thinks this is "all wrong" and tastes different . I think it's pasta bake. Tastes like pasta bake surely?! 🤷

If I was using a jar of sauce, I'd follow the instructions and cook it how it was meant to be cooked. I wouldn't exactly weigh out the pasta or the cheese etc, but I'd certainly follow the method.

Pasta bake is minging though, so I don't make it very often.

I don't think I've ever actually bought a jar sold as pasta bake. I used to make them using chicken tonight sauce and that doesn't say anything about pasta, cooked or dry!

I usually only make the Homepride Bacon flavour one. I make it according to the instructions BUT add fried bacon lardons and onions and/or a tin of sweetcorn. Then a layer of crushed up smokey bacon crisps under the cheese.

Pasta in dish, pour sauce from jar over pasta, fill jar with water to top of label, put lid on jar and shake, then pour saucey water over pasta, stir it so it’s all mixed up properly and shove in oven for 20 mins. Then add cheese and Cook for another 25 mins.

Homepride creamy tomato or tomato and bacon or Lidl’s own ones are good.

Homepride pasta bake is my hangover food.. takes 2 mins to assemble, 45 mins later a carby, cheesey joy awaits..

I also make a proper, from scratch pasta bake where I chop veg, pre cook the pasta, add extras like chorizo.. but that takes effort that sometimes I just don’t have.

There are different instructions depending on which brand you use.

Homepride you just chuck the sauce in a dish, add another jar full of water to dilute, add dry pasta and cook for 45 mins (ass cheese and stir halfway through). I like to chuck in some chorizo if I’m feeling fancy .

Other brands like dolmio you have to cook the pasta first which defeats the whole point of a pasta bake.

Add cheese, ADD CHEESE!

Wait a moment!

Those capital letters... is there a jar called Pasta Bake? Specifically for making a pasta bake...

....OP isn't talking about taking any old jar of pasta sauce and chucking it over part cooked pasta and stuff?

A learning day!!! Who knew it was 'a thing' ? Apart from half of Mumsnet, obviously

ass cheese and stir halfway through

or ?

is there a jar called Pasta Bake? Specifically for making a pasta bake.

Yep. Loads of them

@CuriousaboutSamphire food of the gods

I hope the pp that cook the pasta first realise that pasta isn't supposed to be mushy. If you put dry pasta in the sauce then the oven it comes out al dente - which is the authentic Italian way

VERY dubious about the ‘1 of your 5 a day’ claim...

Ooh we haven't had a Pasta Bake in ages!

I tend to wing it but I shouldn't because I often end up with too much pasta, so the balance with the sauce isn't quite right.

Oh! I don't do Homepride and the family size jars. Maybe that's why I haven't noticed.

And pasta being al dente... Mine goes in the oven for as few minutes as possible. So the pasta has to be part cooked when it goes in. I hate it being mushy, or rock hard on one side!

If I’m using one of those jar sauces I follow the instructions, add water and then cook in the oven. Firstly, the whole point of buying those jars for me is having a night where I literally have nothing more to do than throw it in the oven. Secondly, those sauces need the the starchy pasta water cooked into them to make them all lovely.

I'm Italian and I cook the pasta al dente before I put it in the oven. Then I put it under the grill for 15 minutes to get a nice brown top.

I've never used a jar of "pasta bake" though, I usually make a bechamel. We had pasta bake tonight - bechamel, cheese, cauliflower, brocolli and chopped up sausages.

I love pasta bakes but they use so many pans.

Oh my goodness - I’ve just made rather nice pasta! I found a jar of arabiata and threw in some olives, capers and lemon zest with the sauce and some water / pasta and pressed a button (electric pressure cooker). 5 minutes!

Easiest peasiest cooking ever, and it was rather yummy!

@CoronaIsWatching

I hope the pp that cook the pasta first realise that pasta isn't supposed to be mushy. If you put dry pasta in the sauce then the oven it comes out al dente - which is the authentic Italian way

I'm really not sure that there is anything even remotely approaching authentic Italian about Pasta Bake! Such fancy ideas such as al dente have no place in a discussion about Pasta Bake 😂

I had one of the jars that tell you to put in the pasta raw with a bit of water, straight to the oven. Cooked it for longer than specified and the pasta was still all raw and crunchy.

Never occurred to me there were instructions on the jar or that you didn't cook the pasta first. I cook a lot from scratch and rarely use recipes so I'm not often reading jars.

I don't precooked lasagna but do the pasta firca bake. I use Jackie Oliver's wild boar rigatoni recipe, but i tweek it to my taste (less vinegar, more creme fraiche and garlic). You may have to be accurate with baking but not pasta bake.
So if he wants it his way he bakes it, and you do it your way when you do.

Wow I didn't expect so many different answers. To those who asked we use a Lidl creamy tomato one. I will, on occasion, make a sauce from scratch but pasta bake is so easy this way it is good when you're stuck for dinner ideas. We had it tonight. I cooked it my way. Pasta was lovely.

Definitely your way. With sausages chopped up in it and a side of garlic bread. Carb heaven.

The Lidl ones are really nice. I don't read the instructions.

I cook the pasta first then stir in the sauce but just rinse the jar out and tip in to the pasta, I don't add a whole jar of water (didn't realise you were meant to). Cover with cheese and bake till cheese is bubbling.