Pasta bake mistake

[lovehearrrts]

I assumed dolmio pasta bake worked the same was as home pride and you mixed the sauce with dry pasta then in the oven.

Apparently not.

It's all mixed with pancetta and already in the oven. Then I re read the jar.

Will it still work?

I've covered it with foil because it will take longer if it works, so it doesn't burn.

Annoyed 😂

Thanks for the clarification, I was really struggling trying to figure out why you'd fry the pasta 😄

This has blown my mind. I always pre-cook the pasta before baking and am now wondering how much of my life I’ve wasted doing that…

Unless you literally stand there watching the pasta boil, probably none .

That’s how I do it, water pasta bake sauce, dried pasta, let it all cook, check water levels so it doesn’t dry out, add what ever you want also peas mushrooms etc at the start, cheese at the end. It’s all good.

I’ve never chucked ordinary dry pasta in a pasta bake before either unless you count lasagna sheets. Surely the dry pasta needs to absorb a lot of water? Does it taste ok when cooked?

I always cook the pasta in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes first whilst frying off onions, peppers and pancetta bacon or similar then add passata and some cherry toms, chuck it all together in a dish, sprinkle breadcrumbs and grated cheese on top and bake for 25 mins.
Not exactly gourmet cooking though.😂

I tried a Homepride jar sauce once before and I thought it was really horrible so tend to avoid them. Aldi brand pasta sauce is ok.

The cheese and bacon homepride pasta bake is one of DS2s favourite meals.

I add fried lardons and either a tin of sweetcorn or a chopped fried onion to the raw pasta/sauce/water mix.
Then a layer of crushed up smokey bacon crisps.
Then cheese.

Which reminds me, I need to add homepride sauce to the grocery shop this week.

My go to meal if I don't have time to really cook (i.e. go to the trouble of making a baked pasta dish) is ready made ravioli or tortellini and jarred sauce.

we have the hamburger helper in the US. Fry the meat, empty pasta and seasoning with some milk or water into the pan and cook until done.

loads of people do a chicken pasta bake thing using Campbells soup too. And they have an instant potato packet stuff which is actually quite tasty.

If adding dry pasta, you need to add extra water so I've jar of sauce and one jar of water

Those jars never seem to work for me anyway the pasta is always undercooked and horrible

Sorry this is going to sound like a stealth boast but I've never used a jar for pasta. However, we do like a pasta bake and hadn't realised you could literally chuck a jar over dry pasta. That's a good back up meal for crazy days! Thanks 🙂 (genuine, not sarcastic!)

I’ve never precooked the pasta for pasta bake or lasagna. I just add as much water as sauce. I usually use home made sauce. It’s always been fine.

Adding water should be fine, the pasta will soak it up and sauce won't get watery.
Better than my DH's attempt. I came home and found a whole bag of pasta with one jar of sauce dumped over it in the oven! Had to try and remove half the pasta and add water. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I always precook pasta for a pasta bake but Would love to know if this works just baking from dry- I do know with lasagne it can go really gummy and chewy at times so I would be expecting fusilli pasta or whatever to be similar unless swimming in liquid which would then be too runny a bake I would think ? Surely lasagne works as the sheets seal the liquid in layers?

Hang on. Forget the pasta. Raw pancetta swimming around in watery sauce with added water? That's a bit bleak.

Not criticising anyone, but is it not simply quicker and cheaper - and using MUCH less power than an oven - to cook your pasta in boiling water then drain (reserving at least a mugful) then while still bubbling add frozen peas or french beans or broad beans, then, when these cooked - about 10 mins - add pesto and grated cheese. Serve with bag salad and/or mini tomatoes (this accompaniment and also for the suggestions below):

Or else add peas and shredded ham/chicken and sour cream and frozen spinach
Or a tin of chopped tomatoes and a few olives plus spinach or broccoli and grated cheese.
Or a tin of flaked tuna and a jar of red peppers (Polish, from supermarkets, excellent) and oil and paprika
Or grilled/roast aubergines (previously cooked while oven is on) plus fried mushooms and onions plus herbs plus greens
Or cream cheese/cream and salmon pieces and red peppers as above. With black pepper and parsley if you've got them.
Or quickly fried courgettes in plenty of oil and tomato puree and chopped garlic and dried herbs (so cheap)...

etc etc etc. There are countless variations
all these take about 15 mins max and don't have that 'gloopy' sauce in a jaar taste. You can obviously add herbs/spices if you like lively flavours.

after about 15 min, past absorbs the moisture from any suace it has een cooked in and becomes stodgy.

World War II recipe for macaroni cheese. Amazingly, it works:

• Boil pasta until almost cooked. Drain, reserving 1-2 mugs of water.


• Off the heat, stir some flour into the pasta and water, add some powdered mustard and all kinds of odds and ends of cheese, grated. Stir briskly until you have pasta in thickened sauce. Keep warm, stirring frequently.. Serve with fried tomatoes, mushrooms etc. And a green salad, or steamed cauliflower or broccoli.

Neither did I - I often wondered why it was frequently cited as a super easy bung in the oven meal (I precook pasta, fry up loads of diff veg, add stuff, add sauce, combine it all and bake - easy but not one step meal). Will have to try the new way!

is it not simply quicker and cheaper - - to cook your pasta in boiling water then drain (reserving at least a mugful) then while still bubbling add frozen peas... then, when these cooked - about 10 mins - add pesto and grated cheeser else add peas and shredded ham/chicken and sour cream and frozen spinachO..

Is it cheaper if u have an electric oven but a gas hob? Genuinely asking as trying to keep energy bills down.

I've never made a jar pasta bake so I've always cooked pasta first abs added home made sauce. I'm confused. Wouldn't it be all gluggy? When I cook pasta, lots of starch comes out into the water. Surely that would all be still in the food and all disgusting and gunky no?

The starch helps thicken the sauce, it's lovely!
Same as when I do an all in one on the hob, dry pasta, water, tomatoes and anything else! Cook the pasta with everything and it makes a lovely thick sauce.

@inappropriateraspberry I will defo try it!

Google all in one, or one pan pasta. You need to make sure you don't have too much water!

Fuuuuuuccccckkkkk I have not had this since I was a child and now I need some
urgently

ChocBloc Good question. I would think still cheaper, but will try to find reliable and accurate answer. May take a day or so ...

Did it end up ok??