5 ingredients is all you need to make this Easy Baked Rotini Pasta! This Easy Pasta Bake is a kid friendly casserole that can feed a large crowd on a budget.
Weeknights at our house are incredibly busy, and my guess is they are at your house as well.
I often resort to my slow cooker recipes for dinner during the busy week, but sometimes I forget. Or have to rush out the door before I have time to set it and forget it.
Thankfully, I have many easy 30 Minute recipes that I resort to on those nights. One of our favorites is this easy baked pasta.
Easy Baked Rotini Pasta
Pasta has always been a comfort food to me and a favorite of my kids.
Being that pasta bakes are so incredibly simple and economical to make, you better believe this Pasta Casserole makes an appearance at our house quite often.
Rotini noodles, are coated with cottage cheese, homemade tomato sauce, and cheese–simple, yet PERFECT flavors for a pasta bake.
5 Ingredients for Easy Baked Pasta
- Rotini Noodles
- You can use rigatoni or penne noodles if you like instead of rotini noodles, but the rotini noodles grasp the sauce perfectly and stay soft during baking.
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Use your favorite jarred sauce or Homemade Tomato Sauce.
- Cottage Cheese
- Cottage cheese added to pasta makes this pasta casserole not only creamy, it adds tang and saltiness to the bake.
- Egg
- The egg helps to bind the casserole together, but can easily be omitted for an Egg-Free Pasta Bake (just be sure your noodles are egg-free as well!)
- Cheese
- I love to use an Italian blend of Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Provolone, but you can use any cheese you like.
Step by Step Instructions to Make Baked Rotini
Step One: Cook Rotini Noodles
- Cook pasta in heavily salted water for 1-2 minutes less than package suggests.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
- While pasta is cooking, this is a great time to prep a salad or side dish to serve with the pasta bake.
Step Two: Prepare Pasta Bake
- Mix cooked rotini noodles with tomato sauce, reserved cooking liquid, egg, cottage cheese, and sauce.
- Pour into 9×13 pan or 2 quart casserole.
- Top with additional cheese if desired.
Step Three: Bake Rotini Dish
- Bake pasta bake, uncovered, until cheese melts and pasta is warmed through, about 30 minutes.
Notes on Simple Baked Pasta Recipe
- If you don’t have cottage cheese, you can use ricotta cheese instead.
- If you have an egg allergy, this pasta dish works without it as well.
- Use any cheese you like–provolone, mozzarella, Parmesan, or cheddar.
- Be sure to use a good quality marinara or spaghetti sauce instead of plain tomato sauce to ensure flavor.
- Feel free to add in ground beef, sausage, or even pepperoni to this baked rotini for a heartier dish.
- Use Gluten-Free Pasta to make this a Gluten-Free Baked Rotini.
- Of course you can use ziti or rigatoni or even macaroni noodles as well in this pasta bake.
- Really get a heads start to dinner and prep this dish ahead of time:
- Assemble pasta bake up to baking.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- Add 20 minutes to baking time if coming from fridge.
- You can also freeze for 2 months.
- Thaw out overnight before baking for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.
This pasta dish is great served with Kale and Apple Salad or Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad or Homemade Garlic Bread.
If you like Baked Rotini you may also like these recipes:
Recipe for Baked Rotini
5 Ingredient Baked Rotini
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce whole wheat rotini noodles or ziti, rigatoni, etc
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta liquid
- 4 cups homemade or jarred spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 1 egg whisked
- 2 cups shredded cheese mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan or a mixture
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta 1-2 minutes less than package directions in salted boiling water. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
- Mix cooked pasta and reserved sauce together with sauce, cottage cheese, egg, and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Pour into a large 9x13 pan or casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
- Alternatively, you can prep this dish earlier up to baking. Add 20 minutes to baking time if coming from fridge.
Kristen – forgetting to set the slow cooker is the story of ma life! So, spa quick meals like this are my jam! This baked rotini with cottage cheese is one I’m sure my daughter would LOVE – this is definitely going on my to-make list! Thanks so much, happy Monday and yay for storybook neighborhoods! 🙂
Yes, LOVE quick meals and my wonderful neighborhood!
I love it ! easy , fast and delicious! My second time making it 🙂 thanks for sharing
Love easy meals like this girl! I am sharing on my FB page today.
On a side note – I’ve been thinking about you! Praying for healing and comfort from Iowa!
Ah thank you so so much Ally–for the prayers and facebook share!
I love that you put cottage cheese in this! Talk about an extra protein boost. So good, Kristen! I’ll be making this for Alex and I soon. <3
I hope you love it!
Love easy meals like this! Perfect for busy weeknights!
Exactly!!
I really enjoy Italian food and this is super easy. Thanks for the recipe.
Can u use something other than cottage cheese
Absolutely April–ricotta cheese, cream cheese, or even crumbled tofu.
I’m going to make this tonight for this weekend at the campground. It’s a great make ahead dinner that I can easily heat in our dreadful camper oven! 🙂 I am however going to use ricotta since I have someone who won’t eat the cottage. Great idea to mix it in. I myself am avid cook.. never really thought of that.
Thank you
YAY!! I have used ricotta as well and it works great. And yes, this bumps up creaminess and protein all at once.
Wow ! What a great tasty and easy recipe ! It takes pasta to the next level…if l could give it more than 5 stars l would ! I used grated marble cheese and the combination of ingredients was so creamy . It filled the small oval roast pan (no lid) that Ibaked it in . Served it with a side salad . It fed 4 hungry adults , 2 of which had seconds , and had enough leftovers for another sitting…so economical ! Rave reviews from everyone ! Thank you , thank you , thank you !! 😃
This makes me so happy!!! We actually had it for dinner tonight too Cindy. I have one in my freezer at all times and I had been at a doctor’s appointment all day. It was the perfect answer.
Do I bake this dish covered or uncovered?
I bake uncovered Cath, as I like the cheese to bubble up and the pasta to have crisper edges. However, you can bake covered with foil if you would like a more “moist” pasta and then just uncover last 10 minutes for cheese to fully melt. Enjoy!
Thanks for the quick reply. This is Ash Wednesday, so no meat here. This was so easy to assemble. Add a salad and garlic bread and voila there’s a rear meal even if it isn’t the beginning of Lent.😉
Real!!!
YAY!!!! That is exactly why I love this recipe so much–quick and easy! So glad you enjoyed!
I know I’m late to the game, but curious if you could use Greek yogurt in this dish instead of the cottage cheese? Just don’t feel like running to the store, and that is what I have! 😀
Hi Emily! You are never late to ask questions 🙂 And, as long as it is plain Greek yogurt it should work fine. I am all about using what you have on hand to save yourself time and money!
can you just put the noodles in without cooking them? won’t they cook in the sauce?
Hi Melissa, It is POSSIBLE to cook this casserole without pre-cooking the noodles, but it will change the directions drastically. You would need to add water to the sauce, cover TIGHTLY with foil, bake longer and even then the noodles will not be as soft. So I just do not recommend that. Sorry.