homemade pasta bake? (without pre-boiling pasta!)

[JuniperHeartwand]

I like the jars of creamy tomato (no pre-cook) pasta bake but I'm keen to make my own version so I'm happier sharing it with my BLW baby. I'm too dim to work out how to make my own!

Can't seem to find a recipe online that doesn't require boiling the pasta first, would rather just put it all in the dish and leave it to bake! I guess tinned tomatoes, water, ...cream maybe? Can anyone help me?

This sauce tastes very creamy and reminds me of those jars, my dd loves it but I have no idea how to cook it with dried pasta I'm afraid! I use fresh pasta so it only takes a few minutes to cook!

I always boil the pasta first but how about muxing passatta and quark or philly to make a creamy sauce?

why would you not just pre-boil the pasta ?

Tinned tomatoes, extra water, a pinch of herbs if you have some and grated cheese on top.

It would be fine with extra water, just like lasagne. The thing is to find the right quantities.

I always find pasta bake dry and top crunchy/ burnt

Much nicer I'm to just boil pasta in one pan, in other sauté onion/ garlic/ pepper/ courgette/ mushrooms and passatta. Serve and add cheese

Just make the sauce a bit more liquid than usual.. I do it all the time cos I'm a lazy bitch :o

If you don't want to cook the pasta and making the sauce too wet doesn't work you could just try pouring a kettle of boiled water over the pasta and just leave it to stand while you prepare the sauce.

I like the creamy tomato pasta bake jars too. I have made my own version with tomato passata and mascarpone cheese plus added water so that the dry pasta has somethingto absorb. I also put cheese on the top, tinned tuna, tinned sweetcorn, frozen peas and sometimes tinned red kidney beans too. Just ad all, stir and bake, then later on top with cheese and bake til cheese is melted. Creme fraiche may also work instead of mascarpone.

Thank you to those with helpful comments!

How do you estimate how much water to add chocolateisheaven? Great to hear it might work with my own ingredients, your suggestions sound good.

Well I just experimented really. I used the passata carton sort of as a substitute for the bit wher you fill the jar with water when you do the jar version. There needs to be quite alot of liquid. I also add more pasta than what the jar version reccomends, so my pastabake is less saucy . I use a lasagne oven type dish and ratio of pasta to veg and beans is 50:50 total. I use a tin of beans. I use a large tin of tuna, drained too. With tbe water, I think I use about 1.5 or 2 passata cartons worth of water. I think its best to be generous.

on a seperate note and I hope you dont mind me asking on your thread, juniper, I am trying to work out how to do this type of pasta bake, I.e. dry pasta plus ither ingreduents just mixed together and bunged in the oven, for a cheesy pasta bake but not managed to yet, if anybody has suggestions.

I think for cheesy just make a cheese sauce with extra milk and add before its all thickened

When I do it I go back to it after 10-15mins and give it a stir so there are no burnt bits, then add more water if it's starting to look a bit dry.

Oh yes I didnt say that I stir too once or twice while it is cooking before I get to the addind cheese on top stage

Thanks, I'll let you know how I get on