Bolognese Pasta Bake is the rich and cheesy kind of comfort food that can be made on busy weeknights and will satisfy the whole family.
This easy pasta casserole uses budget-friendly beef mince (ground beef) to make a tasty pasta dinner that is enough to feed a hungry crowd, or to portion up and pop into the freezer for another night.
Table of Contents
Why I think you will love this recipe
- Quick and cheesy comfort food.
- Family-friendly flavours - even for the picky eaters!
- Freezes really well.
- You can easily add some extra veggies.
What you need to make this recipe
*Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients with exact quantities and detailed instructions
- olive oil
- brown onion
- carrot
- fresh garlic cloves
- beef mince - minced beef/ground beef
- bacon
- tomato paste
- dry red wine
- passata - pureed tomatoes that have the skin and seeds strained out, you can find it in the supermarket near the tomato paste and jarred pasta sauce
- beef stock cubes
- dried oregano
- salt & pepper
- pasta curls
- ricotta cheese
- mozzarella cheese
*Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients with exact quantities and detailed instructions
Substitutions for bolognese pasta bake
- Brown onion - use white or red onion.
- Fresh garlic - sub with powdered garlic.
- Red wine - swap for beef stock.
- Passata - use crushed and blended tinned tomatoes.
- Dried oregano - dried Italian herb blend.
- Pasta curls - other short-cut pasta shapes, such as penne, fusilli or rigatoni.
- Mozzarella - sub with cheddar.
How to make bolognese pasta bake
- Brown the onion and carrot, then add garlic.
- Add beef mince and bacon.
- Once the meat is browned, add tomato paste.
- Then add red wine, and simmer to reduce.
- Add passata, beef stock cubes and dried herbs.
- Simmer with the lid ajar.
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- Combine cooked pasta, bolognese sauce, ricotta and mozzarella in a baking/casserole dish.
- Sprinkle with more mozzarella, then bake.
My top tips for the best result
- Browning the beef and bacon really well will make a big difference to the taste of the finished dish.
- There is no need for expensive red wine; cask or boxed wine is all you need.
Optional additions
If you would like to add more vegetables to this bolognese pasta bake recipe, my top suggestions would be:
- sliced mushrooms
- diced celery
- diced capsicum (bell peppers)
- grated zucchini
Any of these could be added to this bolognese bake at the same time as the grated carrot.
Storage
Leftovers of this bolognese pasta bake can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This recipe is suitable for freezing.
More easy pasta bake recipes
Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake - one of my most popular recipes! Use convenient rotisserie chicken to make a quick and easy weeknight pasta bake.
Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake - the easy way to get the family to eat broccoli (at our house anyway!) is to serve it with chicken and pasta, and cover it in an easy cheese sauce made with heavy cream and parmesan!
📖 Recipe
Bolognese Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 brown onion diced
- 1 carrot grated
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 450 g beef mince ground beef
- 100 g bacon diced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 250 ml dry red wine
- 800 g passata
- 125 ml water
- 2 beef stock cubes crumbled
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 500 g pasta curls see my notes
- 150 g ricotta
- 150 g grated mozzarella (divided)
Watch me make this recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃.
- Heat the olive oil in large heavy-based pan, and fry the onion over medium heat until it starts to soften. Then add the grated carrot and continue to fry for 3 - 4 minutes until soft.1 tablespoon olive oil1 brown onion1 carrot
- Increase the heat to medium-high, then add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.3 garlic cloves
- Add the beef mince and bacon and fry until well browned and most of the moisture has cooked off, about 6 - 8 minutes.450 g beef mince100 g bacon
- Once the meat is browned, add tomato paste and fry for an additional 30 seconds.2 tablespoon tomato paste
- Add red wine and bring to a simmer. Then simmer for 3 - 4 minutes, or until reduced by about half.250 ml dry red wine
- Add passata, water, beef stock cubes, dried oregano, salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer.800 g passata125 ml water2 beef stock cubes½ teaspoon dried oregano½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
- Simmer over low heat (covered, with the lid slightly ajar) for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the package directions (minus 1 minute).500 g pasta curls
- Drain the pasta (reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water) and then add the pasta to a 25cm x 35cm x 6cm baking dish.
- Add the meat sauce, ricotta, and 100g of mozzarella to the pasta, then stir to combine (add some of the reserved pasta water if it seems a little dry).150 g ricotta150 g grated mozzarella (divided)
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining 50g of mozzarella, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.150 g grated mozzarella (divided)
- Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheese is golden, and serve.
Notes
- Getting a good amount of browning on the beef and bacon, and frying it long enough for the moisture to cook off, really intensifies the flavour and makes a big difference to the taste of the finished dish. More colour = more flavour.
- There is no need for expensive red wine for this recipe. Cask or boxed wine is all you need.
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Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
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