Quick & Easy Baked Pasta

Pantry staples make a tasty quick fix for any night of the week.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Cheese, Marinara Sauce, Pasta

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings 6

Equipment

13 x 9-inch baking dish

Ingredients

1 16 ounce box penne pasta
1 24 ounce jar Rao's Marinara Sauce
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray
Prepare pasta to package directions. Drain reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
In the empty pot used to cook pasta, combine the sauce, butter, and baking soda. Mix until butter is melted. Use the pasta cooking water to rinse the sauce jar and add to the pot. Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat.
Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Top with 1/2 to 1 cup of shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

I did not put foil over the top of the dish when it went into the oven. It came out a little dry - which was fine by me. If you want yours a little wetter, put the foil on for the majority of the bake time, take it off to finish melting the cheese.

To keep the cheese from sticking to the aluminum foil, spray the foil with nonstick spray.

I am sensitive to acidity in tomatoes. The baking soda and butter were used to combat that.