This delicious Baked Pasta With White Sauce and Red Sauce is truly the best of both worlds: homemade red sauce & white sauce! Easy to make and assemble, this delicious pasta bake is cheesy and comforting, perfect for the Holidays or just because! If you need to wow someone with your pasta skills, this is it!
Baked Pasta With White Sauce and red sauce
Hey loves. Today I’m back with a super comforting dish: Baked Pasta With White Sauce *AND* Red Sauce! Basically, the best of both worlds.
Now, I won’t go on about how this dish reminds me of my grandparents because no one gives a f*ck *BUT* I’ll tell you this is what my full-blooded Italian grandma made at pretty much every family gathering.
Why? It’s comforting, it’s cheesy, and it has both red sauce & white sauce which means it makes everyone happy! Hence why this is a great Holiday or special occasion recipe! It can also be made gluten-free, if desired.
This recipe serves about 4 people with 1-1/2 cup servings but if you have more than 4 people or want more generous servings, I’d recommend doubling it!
Ready? Let’s make some pasta! 🥂
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Sweet onion
- Garlic
- Fresh basil
- Tomato sauce
- Salt & Pepper
- Dried pasta (use gluten-free if desired)
- All-purpose flour (use glutinous rice flour if you’re gluten-free)
- Milk
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
How To Make Baked Pasta With White Sauce
Make the red sauce. Sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and fragrant, pour in the tomato sauce, add the basil, season, and simmer. Turn off the heat and set aside ⏤ your red sauce is ready!
Cook the pasta. Simply cook your dried pasta in salted water until al dente, following the instructions on the package. Once the pasta is cooked, drained and toss with some of the red sauce to keep it from drying out.
Make the white sauce. Melt the butter, add in the flour and cook until golden brown (this is called a roux). Pour in the milk, season, and cook stirring continuously until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat and set aside ⏤ your white sauce is ready!
Assemble the pasta bake. Spread a thin layer of red sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, dot with spoonfuls of white sauce, add the pasta, pour in the remaining red sauce and top with the remaining white sauce, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese (or pecorino if preferred).
Bake until the cheese has completely melted, and serve immediately!
1 Tip For Success
Shred and grate the cheese at home! Pre-shredded and pre-grated cheese is coated with chemicals to keep it from clumping up in the package and while you can’t taste those chemicals, they definitely affect the quality of your dish. If you want a 5 star pasta bake, buy a block of high quality mozzarella cheese & parmesan (or pecorino) cheese and shred/grate those at home!
What To Serve With It
This pasta bake is usually considered a main dish but of course you can switch it up & serve it as a side if you prefer! Here are my favorite appetizers, mains/sides and desserts to serve with this delicious pasta dish!
Appetizers
- Puff Pastry Pumpkin Twists
- Cheesy Turkey Cheddar Sliders with Smoked Paprika Butter
- Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions
- Sweet Potato Fries with Aioli Sauce
- Meatballs in Beer Sauce
Mains/Sides
- Baked Honey Dijon Chicken
- Chicken With Onions
- Russian Olivye Salad (Salat Olivye)
- Spicy Honey Garlic Glazed Carrots
- Hot Honey Oven Fried Chicken With Buttermilk
- Healthy Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Spicy Lebanese Potatoes
Desserts
- Custard Cream Horns
- Best Apple Slab Pie With Icing
- 5 Ingredient Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Chocolate Pretzel Tart
- Russian Apple Cake with Sour Cream
- Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce
HAPPY BAKING LOVES!! I hope you’ll love this Easy Pasta Bake as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
Italian Baked Pasta with White Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 10 oz (283 g) tomato sauce
- 1/2 tbsp minced basil about 3-4 large leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz (226 g) dried pasta or gluten-free pasta for GF eaters
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour or glutinous rice flour for GF eaters
- 1 cup (250 g) whole milk room temperature
- 8 oz (226 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup (23 g) grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
Instructions
- In a small skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil until hot. Add in the onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and auté until soft and fragrant (about 3-4 minutes). Pour in the tomato sauce, add the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 1-2 minutes, then turn off the heat and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. You want the pasta to cook until al dente to prevent it from overcooking in the oven. Drain and toss with a spoonful of your prepared tomato sauce to keep it from sticking and drying out.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Make the white sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted completely, add in the flour and mix until a thick paste starts forming. Cook the paste for 1-2 minutes or until golden and toasted. Pour in the milk, stir and cook while stirring continuously for 5-6 minutes or the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, add a few spoonfuls of white sauce, add in the pasta, pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the pasta, and top with the remaining white sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted completely. Remove from the oven, top with extra fresh basil or red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately!
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