Baked pasta is, hands down, one of the best comfort foods we know. Done right, this classic is the perfect combination of cheesy, starchy, saucy, hot, and salty. Pair it with a bottle of red, and you’ve got a darn fine casserole on your hands. But “darn fine” is nothing compared to “amazing,” “incredible,” or “transcendental.” Learn the most common mistakes home cooks make when cooking baked pasta, and make your family’s favorite dinner even better—these tips from digital food editor Dawn Perry are all you need for a baked ziti recipe upgrade. Just don’t forget the garlic bread for marinara-mopping.
1. Use the Right Noodle for the Job
Many of us grew up eating baked ziti, and there will always a place for this noodle in our lives. But here’s something that may be difficult to hear: Ziti isn’t necessarily the best shape of pasta for this job. Sauce can slide right off of its smooth sides, leaving a pool at the bottom of the plate (not to mention, naked noodles). To sidestep this tragic loss of sauce, use a tubular pasta that has deep ridges, like rigatoni, riccioli, or rocchetti. Avoid long, thin, or floppy shapes, as well as thin noodles that can quickly overcook. So keep in mind: Ridges hold sauce and cheese, and sturdier sides make for a well-cooked, not soggy and floppy, noodle. That said, if you’ve got a soft spot for ziti, or your family will revolt if you use anything else, go ahead and grab a box. It will be okay. We promise.
2. Undercook Your Pasta (Really!)
To avoid mushy baked pasta, seriously undercook the pasta in its boiling phase. Perry lets the pasta boil for just five minutes before draining it well and tossing it in the sauce. Because the pasta’s going into a hot sauce in a hot oven, it’ll continue to cook long after it’s been drained. You’re looking for a semi-raw texture—even firmer than al dente pasta. Cook it completely in the beginning of the game, and by the time you serve yourself up a plate, you’ll have sad, limp noodles.
3. Make Two Sauces—It’s Worth It
A red sauce is traditional in Italian-American baked pasta dishes, but that doesn’t mean you should stop there. Instead of supplementing the marinara with ricotta, as is typically the case, Perry nixes the fresh cheese. “Ricotta gets spongy and dry when baked,” she explains. To achieve that gooey-melty-oozy-and-saucy level of baked pasta perfection, make two sauces: a red sauce, and a white béchamel sauce. The béchamel, which is thickened with flour and butter and filled out with whole milk, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses, is combined with the marinara for a sauce that’s both bright and rich. (Sticklers will note that the addition of cheese to a béchamel technically makes it a mornay, but we just call it baked pasta perfection.)
4. Don’t Just Hope for the Best; Taste Everything
You’ve got a lot of moving parts in a baked pasta dish: The white and red sauces, the cheese, and the pasta itself. Be sure to taste every single component before combining them and sticking the pan in the oven. Both sauces should be well-seasoned, but not overly salty, and the noodles should be tasty with an extra-firm bite—you should not want to eat the pasta as-is. Also consider the fact that some mozzarella comes pre-salted, and Parmesan definitely has a salty flavor. Taste everything and adjust accordingly.
5. Don’t Forget about the Broiler
Baked pasta will never acquire that golden, bubbling crust in a regular oven. Baking it steadily at 350 degrees will ensure that the cheesy sauce melts beautifully into the noodles, but the temperature isn’t high enough to get any color on the top layer of cheese. Well, unless you keep the pan in the oven for hours, which will result in overcooked pasta. Once the pasta is perfectly cooked (about 15-20 minutes for a 3-quart casserole), stick it under the broiler and monitor it closely. It can take as long as four minutes to achieve that deep burnished top layer, but it can quickly veer off toward too done, so be vigilant and don’t walk away from the kitchen. As a bonus, broiling the casserole will inevitably result in a few crunchy, crispy noodles toward the top. We love crunchy, crispy noodles.
6. Let It Rest Before Digging In
You know you should let a porterhouse steak, roasted chicken, or pork chop rest before slicing it. A baked pasta casserole is no different. Allowing the dish to hang out for five to 10 minutes after cooking will give the sauce a chance to settle into the nooks and crannies of your pasta. Dig in right away, and the juice will pool to the bottom of the casserole, leaving you with a thin-tasting sauce. And it’s hot! That dish just came out from under the broiler. A burned tongue means you won’t be able to enjoy your hard-earned effort.
Get the recipe: BA’s Best Baked Ziti (Or Rigatoni, or Whatever)
