Bolognese Pasta Bake
This takes everything good about a proper bolognese and turns it into something even better. A rich beef and pork sauce, tossed through pasta, layered with mozzarella, and baked until golden on top.
The trick is undercooking the pasta before it goes in the oven. It keeps absorbing sauce and finishes cooking as it bakes, so cooking it to al dente first will actually leave you with mushy pasta by the time it’s done.
It’s a great one for feeding a crowd, and it freezes just as well as a regular bolognese, so it’s worth making a double batch.
Bolognese Pasta Bake
BEEF · PORK · DINNER
All the flavour of a proper bolognese, baked into something even better
Frying the mince until the pan is properly dry, not just until it's cooked through, is what stops the sauce turning watery. Any leftover liquid in the pan will thin everything out.
Undercooking the pasta by a full 3 minutes before it goes into the sauce means it finishes cooking in the oven, soaking up all that flavour along the way instead of just sitting in it.
Letting it rest for the full 15 minutes before portioning gives the cheese and sauce time to set, so you get clean slices instead of everything collapsing on the plate.
Bolognese Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 500 g Penne or Ziti
- 15 ml Olive Oil
- 500 g Beef Mince 10% Fat
- 250 g Pork Mince 18% Fat
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Grated
- 1 Carrot Grated
- 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 1 kg Diced Tomatoes Canned
- 8 g Dried Italian Herbs
- 60 g Parmesan Cheese Grated
- 5 g Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped
- 10 g Fresh Basil Torn or Chopped
- Mozzarella Cheese Use As Much As You'd Like
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- Fresh Basil Torn
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Drizzle
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Place a large saucepan of water over high heat, heavily season with salt, and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta 3 minutes less than what it states on your packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Place a large pot over high heat and allow it to get smoking hot. Add the olive oil, beef mince and pork mince, and fry for 6-7 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink, golden, the water content has evaporated, and it reaches an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F).
- Add the onion, garlic and carrot, and continue frying for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, season to taste, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add the Italian herbs, parmesan cheese, parsley and basil, and mix well to combine. Check for seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well to coat it all in the sauce. Pour half of the pasta mix into a ceramic baking dish, top with freshly grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese (optional), then add the remaining pasta mix and top with more mozzarella and parmesan to cover. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Portion into 6-8 servings and serve with more parmesan cheese, basil, and extra virgin olive oil.
Pasta bakes can be flavourless and dull
Nearly wasn’t going to bother making this but really pleased I did
Used a lot of mozzarella cheese to give a really nice flavour and texture
Flavour just got better overtime when reheated during the following week
Happy to hear you enjoyed it. This recipe is definitely full of flavour & I’m happy to hear you agree.
This recipe is sooo good. The fresh herbs really add nice flavor. Made enough to fit in a big casserole dish and had delicious left overs for a while. Highly recommend trying this recipe!
Hey, Steven! Thank you for stopping by! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
I made this for Thanksgiving. It came out great.
But I’ll be honest, it’s best fresh. I placed it in the fridge and the brilliant flavor declined over the days. I guest freezing it is best.
I made this exactly as directed and it was delicious. Brought it to a group dinner and everyone enjoyed it. Great flavor. The prep and stovetop part kept me busy longer than I thought it would, but well worth it!
Side note: This was the first time I ever grated an onion and wow, I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. Will probably try to do a super-fine dice next time.
This is great to hear! Glad everyone enjoyed it. The grated onion breaks down the cells a lot more than regularly dicing thus creating a really potent smell and lots of tears.