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?! 🤷

I make my own version of pasta bake. Stir fry a load of veg: onions, garlic, peppers, courgettes, carrots, peas, sweet corn, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, sugar snap, cherry tomatoes - essentially whatever I can find in the fridge. Chopped fried bacon too if it doesn’t need to be veggie. Boil up your pasta - I usually use fusilli or penne. When it’s all done, layer up a baking dish with pasta and stir fried veg alternately and dot mozzarella in the layers. Grate plenty of cheddar on the top and bake on 180C for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and turning brown. The veg produce their own juice, so no need for sauce. The famalam love it.

I really like the Lidl pasta bakes and i always precook the pasta. Otherwise i find sometimes it doesnt cook properly.

Actually might make one tomorrow.

Boil some pasta until it’s undercooked, add a tin of tuna, some sweet corn if we’re feeling fancy, home pride pasta bake sauce, mix it together, crush a bag of ready salted crisps, mix with loads of cheese and bake in the oven.

If I was on death row, that would be my meal 🙈

I followed the (Tesco) jar instructions and the kids all pointed out the pasta was 'chewy' even though I cooked it the right amount of time.

Think I'll pre cook pasta a bit next time.
(I add a tin of tuna and a handful of sweet corn)

@myneighboursarerude 😀 tuna & sweetcorn!

Now I must try with crisps...

I get irrationally annoyed by the pasta bake sauces - they promise really easy dinners but when you follow the jar instructions the pasta comes out hard !!!!

Cook the pasta first?!! The only reason I sometimes buy pasta bake sauce jars is for a super easy lazy meal that gives the illusion of home cooked (compared to beige freezer food). I wing almost all things, except I do weigh the pasta because if you get it wildly wrong you do risk ending up with it cooked badly. However, it's never enough so I always add a bit more pasta and then a bit more water or milk. I also add tinned sweetcorn and olives. I wish you could get bigger pasta bake jars. The standard ones are only good for 2 people. I want enough for leftovers for the kids school flasks.

If you add frozen sweetcorn or other frozen veg though it does fuck up the cooking time. Needs to be tinned or precooked.

@AlessandroVasectomi

I make my own version of pasta bake. Stir fry a load of veg: onions, garlic, peppers, courgettes, carrots, peas, sweet corn, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, sugar snap, cherry tomatoes - essentially whatever I can find in the fridge. Chopped fried bacon too if it doesn’t need to be veggie. Boil up your pasta - I usually use fusilli or penne. When it’s all done, layer up a baking dish with pasta and stir fried veg alternately and dot mozzarella in the layers. Grate plenty of cheddar on the top and bake on 180C for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and turning brown. The veg produce their own juice, so no need for sauce. The famalam love it.

Completely missed the point of Pasta Bake tho

You must all be doing something wrong because if you follow the instructions the pasta comes out perfectly cooked!

@SleepingStandingUp indeed. I’m glad there are some other pasta bake jar slatterns on MN

It's a great go to meal. Half fill oven dish with uncooked pasta, pour on sauce, fill jar with water, pour on, stir, cook for 25 mins, stir, add cheese, cook another 20 mins. Just discovered recently, after doing this for over ten years, that if you add foil over dish for first stage, the odd bits of pasta not submerged in sauce don't burn! Today I did use pre cooked pasta from leftovers of a different dish last night - not nice, slimy. Serve with any microwaveable frozen veg or broccoli. Quick, easy, everyone loves it!

[quote MindatWork]@SleepingStandingUp indeed. I’m glad there are some other pasta bake jar slatterns on MN [/quote]
I don't even make it. It's DHs Saturday night tea. I just like to Moran about the cheese and have extra cold grated cheese on top.

I will suggest some ideas on padding it out though as there's now 5 of us to I've jar and a garlic bread

Cooking is my chance not to follow rules and experiment. I'll use a jar, but it's my way depending how I feel and I'm not losing the variety chuck anything & everything in and soften method.

Life is full of rules, cooking should involve rebellion.

Who doesn’t cook the pasta first....??

You all had me thinking I was going mad there. I use the Dolmio one. It states:

Simply cook your choice of pasta and place in an ovenproof dish. Pour over your Dolmio Sauce for Pasta Bake, stir through and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a hot oven at 200C/Gas Mark 6 for 20 mins until the cheese has melted

So the answer on whether you cook the pasta is, it depends on the brand of sauce you use.

@Sarahandduck18

I’ve never cooked or eaten a pasta bake in my life.

It wasn’t something ever made at home growing up.

Maybe just do your own sauce with a tin of tomatoes and wing it?

How weird, I was literally clicking on this thread to say I've never had pasta bake out of a jar and have just had a lightbulb moment that this is what people mean when they say 'pasta bake' (I figured it was some kind of tuna pasta dish, but not a specific 'thing' you bought in the shop, if you see what I mean).

Sounds like a faff weighing things for what's meant to be an easy dinner.

You don't need to weigh anything imo.

Boil some pasta. Once boiled, chuck in the jar and any extras (I slice sausage and peppers). Stir. Put in an oven dish and cover with cheese and bake for 15 mins.

We don't measure here.

Jar of sauce in oven dish.
Jar of water in oven dish.
Add pasta by eye so it's full but covered
When part cooked grate cheese over until it looks enough