Baked Pasta Bolognese

This Baked Pasta Bolognese is the ultimate comfort food! The homemade Bolognese sauce is layered with pasta and cheese to create a delicious recipe that’s sure to become a family favorite!

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We love pasta bakes around our house. On any given week, there’s a solid chance that “pasta bake” is on our weekly menu. Baked pasta dishes are just so easy to make – and what’s not to love about cheesy baked pasta with a tasty red sauce?

Today’s Baked Pasta Bolognese still falls within the ‘easy’ category, but unfortunately it doesn’t fall into the ‘weeknight dinner’ category. You see, this pasta features cheese, pasta and Bolognese sauce all combined in a casserole dish. The cheese and pasta are quick. The Bolognese sauce? Not so quick. But don’t let that deter you – the sauce is easy to make, it just simmers on the stovetop for a while. (And that simmering is what leads to flavor…so it’s worth it!)

To be fair, this recipe can be made in advance and frozen which means it could still be made on a busy weeknight. So here’s an idea: double this recipe when you make it. Make one casserole dish fresh and then freeze the other one. There’s nothing quite like pulling an incredibly tasty pasta bake out of the freezer!

What is Bolognese Sauce?

Bolognese sauce, known as ragù bolognese in Italian, is a slow-cooked tomato-based Italian meat sauce. This classic sauce starts by sautéing carrots, celery and onions until softened. Next, finely diced beef mince (and a small amount of fatty pork go into the pot. (This recipe uses ground beef and diced bacon.) Next up is a bit of wine followed by tomatoes and tomato paste. After this simmers for ~1½ hours, a cup of milk goes into the sauce. The result is an incredibly flavorful pasta sauce!

Baked Pasta Bolognese

While Bolognese sauce is typically paired with a flat pasta (like tagliatelle), this recipe uses rigatoni instead. I’m personally a fan of tubular pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni, etc.) for pasta bakes. Of course, feel free to use whatever type of pasta you prefer!

Aside from the sauce, this Baked Pasta Bolognese is quite an easy meal to make. And when I say it’s delicious, I mean it’s delicious! One bite. That’s all it took. One bite and we were absolutely hooked on this recipe. This ultimate comfort food recipe is perfect for curling up on the couch and watching a movie. But it can also be paired with a side salad and served to company. It’s versatile. It’s like the little black dress of pasta bakes.

This oven baked pasta Bolognese features all of the flavors of Lasagna Bolognese…but it’s much easier to make! It’s cheesy, rich and comforting in the way that pasta bakes should be.

How to Freeze Baked Pasta

To freeze this recipe, let the casserole dish cool completely and then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Next, wrap in aluminum foil and then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then bake for ~45-60 minutes or until heated through.

If you’re just looking to store leftovers, then place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until heated through. (We’ve also reheated leftovers in a dry skillet on the stovetop.)

If you’re looking for a family-friendly comfort food recipe, then put this Bolognese pasta bake on the menu. Trust me when I say this will become a guaranteed favorite in your house! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Cheers!

Did you make this Baked Pasta Bolognese recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) on Instagram – I’d love to see your version!

Baked Pasta Bolognese

This Baked Pasta Bolognese is the ultimate comfort food! The homemade Bolognese sauce is layered with pasta and cheese to create a delicious recipe that's sure to become a family favorite!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 456kcal

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Ingredients

For the Bolognese Sauce

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 large carrots peeled and diced
• 16 oz. ground beef
• 4 oz. bacon finely diced
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 28-oz. can San Marzano peeled tomatoes, undrained see note
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 cup whole milk

For the Baked Pasta

• 16 oz. dried pasta I used rigatoni, but ziti, penne, fusilli or macaroni all work well
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• fresh Italian parsley chopped

Instructions

For the Bolognese Sauce

• Using a stockpot or Dutch oven, add olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened.
• Add beef and bacon. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 8-10 minutes, or until beef has browned.
• Add wine and reduce to medium heat; let simmer for 2 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pan.
• Place tomatoes in a large ziptop bag. Seal bag and crush tomatoes by hand. Pour tomatoes and any liquid into the pan. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours. (Note: If the sauce thickens too much, stir in ½-¾ cup of water.)
• Add milk; let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 more minutes, or until milk has been completely absorbed and sauce has thickened again.

For the Baked Pasta

• While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Using a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta together with the Bolognese sauce.
• Spray a 9”x17” casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer ~½ of the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle ~½ of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top. Repeat using the remaining pasta mixture, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for ~20 minutes, or until cheese has fully melted and top is golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Notes

San Marzano tomatoes are typically available in the canned tomatoes section at your grocery store.  They will cost more (~3x more) than traditional canned tomatoes, but the flavor is much more intense – perfect for Bolognese sauce.  If you can afford it, the extra cost is worth it!

Looking for more pasta recipes? Check out these other favorites, too: