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Spoon holding baked pasta Bolognese over white dish of the same
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5 from 3 votes

Baked Pasta Bolognese

Quick and easy recipe for oven baked Bolognese pasta. Smothered in a rich, Italian sauce covered in cheese. Comforting and satisfying.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian, Western
Keyword: baked bolognese pasta
Servings: 6
Calories: 360kcal
Author: Adrianne

Equipment

  • 1 Sauté pan to brown the beef and make the bolognese sauce
  • 1 Large sauce pan to cook the pasta
  • 1 Wooden spoon to cook the bolognese
  • 1 Colander to drain the pasta
  • 1 Large baking dish to bake the pasta bake

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 500 grams/16 oz beef mince (ground beef) Note 1
  • 1 tablespoon dried onion
  • 700 grams/24.5 oz passata (tomato puree) Note 2
  • 400 grams/14 oz crushed tomatoes Note 3
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste Note 4
  • cup red wine Note 5
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt Note 6
  • ½ tsp cracked black pepper also Note 6
  • 500 grams/16 oz dried pasta Note 7
  • ½ cup cheese grated
  • parsley finely chopped to garnish
  • cracked black pepper for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
  • Cook the beef: heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large heavy based pan. Add the garlic, beef mince, salt and pepper. Cook till browned and use a wooden spoon to stir and break up any clumps of meat as you go. Remove it from the pan when cooked.
  • Cook the pasta: read and follow the instructions on the pasta packet to cook. Ensure water has a pinch of salt and pasta is cooked al dente. Drain using a colander and discard water.
  • Make the sauce: add the passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, dried onion and Italian herbs to the cooked beef mince. Stir to combine and allow to simmer.
  • Combine: add the cooked pasta to the Bolognese sauce. Stir to combine.
  • Baking dish: transfer the pasta Bolognese into baking dish and use a wooden spoon to fill and flatten dish.
  • Cheese: sprinkle the top of the bolognese with the grated cheese.
  • Oven baked: place the dish into the oven on the middle shelf. Cook for 5 minutes until cheese has melted.
  • Serve and enjoy: use oven mits to remove cooked dish from the oven. Place on heat proof surface. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. Provide additional cracked pepper on the table.

Notes

  • Note 1 Beef mince: this is the same thing as ground beef. It is budget friendly, freezer friendly and extremely versatile! Lean beef mince or regular both work well for the recipe. Purchase from Walmart, Safeway, Woolies, Tesco, Aldi, Coles or your local butcher!
  • Note 2 Passata: this is readily available in Australian supermarkets and called 'passata'. In other countries like the USA and Canada it is called tomato puree (but it is the same thing!).
  • Note 3 - Crushed tomatoes: try and get the ones that have no added herbs or flavours. This is because we add our own herbs and depth of flavour which will produce much better results than stuff that you really don't know is in the tin or not!!
  • Note 4 - Tomato paste: thick and rich in flavour, this adds a depth of tomato taste that is unmistakeable in bolognese sauces. We only need a small amount, so if you don't want to purchase a whole jar you can purchase the smaller packets which are often sold with 4 x 2 tablespoon amounts which are also perfect to use as a pizza sauce.
  • Note 5 - Red wine: this is not essential, but you have got to love a recipe that has a little wine in it, right!! Check out my substitutions and variations for alternative options.
  • Note 6 - Salt and pepper: we use a little bit of each of these for seasoning. Simply add in when frying the beef mince. I also recommend using salt in the pasta water to cook that and serving the dish with a good amount of freshly cracked black pepper.
  • Note 7 -  Dried pasta: I am using curly pasta as I love that a little of the bolognese sauce finds its way into the tubes making for delightful eating. You can use the same or rigatoni, macaroni or ziti.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 850mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 784IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 4mg