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This Baked Rotini is the ULTIMATE easy dinner recipe. Made with 5 simple ingredients, and minimal effort, this easy rotini pasta recipe delivers a cheesy, gooey, kid-friendly meal that can feed a large crowd on a budget.
Pair Baked Rotini with homemade garlic toast and a copycat Panera Greek salad or Copycat Olive Garden salad and Italian breadsticks for the ultimate pasta dinner.
The Easiest Pasta Bake
When I need an easy meal that is both delicious and cozy that my entire family loves, I find myself turning to this baked rotini recipe time after time.
And if you love pasta, you too, will adore this baked rotini.
It only requires a handful of inexpensive ingredients and delivers lasagna with cottage cheese vibes without the hassle. And with 22 grams of protein per serving and no added meat, it's a wholesome, affordable meal perfect for busy nights or even special occasions.
How to Make Baked Rotini
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook Rotini Noodles. Cook the noodles in heavily salted boiling water until just shy of al dente--about 1-2 minutes less than the package suggests. The pasta will finish cooking through in the oven. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup cooking water.
- Combine Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked rotini with the spaghetti sauce, half of the cheese, reserved cooking liquid, and cottage cheese. Pro Tip: Add the reserved cooking liquid to the empty jar of spaghetti sauce and give it a shake before adding to the mixture--that will get out every tidbit of sauce.
- Add Egg. It is best to add the whisked egg AFTER combining the other ingredients with the cooked rotini. That will cool the pasta down enough to ensure your egg won't scramble when it hits the hot pasta.
- Assemble Pasta Bake. Pour the rotini mixture into a large baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake. Bake until the cheese melts and the pasta is warmed through.
Kristen's Key Tips for Baked Rotini
- Rotini Noodles are Best. Rotini noodles are easy to find, grasp the sauce perfectly, and stay soft during baking. Other suitable options are rigatoni, corkscrew, or penne.
- Pick a Quality Sauce. Because this recipe uses so few ingredients, be sure you start with quality spaghetti sauce or marinara.
- Reserve the Cooking Liquid. Adding a bit of the starchy, salty cooking liquid from the pasta will help the sauce adhere to the noodles, while flavoring it as well.
- Grate the Cheese Yourself. This recipe is designed to be EASY! But if you can, take a few minutes to grate the cheese rather than relying on bagged cheese for the creamiest of melts.
- Make it Your Way! Add cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, baked meatballs, or ground meat, amp up the seasonings with the addition of garlic powder and Italian seasoning, omit the egg, swap out the cottage cheese for ricotta cheese--you get the idea.
Storage & Make-Ahead Instructions
This easy pasta bake is almost always found stashed in my freezer. It makes a great go-to meal for busy nights for my family, but it is also a great meal to take to a friend or family in need of a comforting home-cooked meal.
- Leftover Pasta: Let the pasta cool slightly, place in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave on a heat-safe, covered with a damp paper towel until warmed through.
- Assemble & Freeze: To prepare pasta in advance, assemble pasta up to baking in a freezer-safe baking dish. Cover well with 2 layers of foil and freeze for up to two months. To bake from frozen, remove 1 layer of foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted.
- Prep Up to 24 Hours in Advance: If you plan to bake this rotini casserole within 24 days of assembling, there is no need to freeze it. Simply prepare the casserole up to baking. Place the prepared rotini in a baking dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove the baking dish from the fridge while the oven is preheating, remove the plastic wrap, and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until warmed through.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Easy Fettuccine Alfredo
- Baked Ravioli Lasagna
- Creamy Chicken Casserole
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
- Creamy Cajun Pasta
If you tried this recipe for Baked Rotini, I would appreciate it if you left a review and comment below.
Easy Baked Rotini
Made with only 5 key ingredients, and minimal effort, this easy baked rotini recipe delivers a cheesy, gooey, kid-friendly meal that can feed a large crowd on a budget.
Video
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rotini noodles
- 28 ounces spaghetti sauce, or marinara
- 16 ounces cottage cheese, full-fat, or reduced-fat (not fat-free)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded *used in 2 steps
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded *used in 2 steps
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Once boiling, add in 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and the rotini noodles. Cook the noodles for 1-2 minutes less than the package suggests--just shy of al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Place the cooked rotini in a large mixing bowl. Add 28 ounces spaghetti sauce, along with ½ cup of reserved cooking liquid, 16 ounces cottage cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded). Stir to combine and slightly cool the cooked pasta. Stir in the whisked 1 large egg.
- Pour the pasta mixture into a large 9x13 pan or 3-quart casserole dish and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded).
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is warmed through.
Notes
Rotini Noodles: Whole wheat, regular, or gluten-free rotini noodles can be used. In place of rotini feel free to use ziti, rigatoni, or penne noodles.
Add Meat: Feel free to add ground beef, sausage, or even pepperoni to this baked rotini for a heartier dish.
Cheese: Feel free to use a mixture of mozzarella and parmesan or even an Italian-blend of cheese.
Spices: Feel free to add in up to 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried oregano, and Italian seasoning.
Cottage Cheese: DO NOT USE FAT-FREE Cottage cheese, it will make the dish watery. In place of cottage cheese, ricotta cheese can be used.
Egg-Free: Simply omit the egg from the casserole and be sure your noodles are egg-free.
Storage: Allow the pasta bake to cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on a heat-safe plate, covered with a damp paper towel, in the microwave in 60-second intervals until warmed through.
Make-Ahead: Pasta Bake can be assembled up to baking, covered, and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance. Remove from the fridge while the oven preheats and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes.
Freeze the Casserole: Assemble the rotini casserole up to baking in a freezer-safe/oven-safe baking dish. Cover will with 2 layers of foil and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake from frozen, remove one layer of foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 400kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 22gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 1034mgPotassium: 627mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 830IUVitamin C: 8.6mgCalcium: 220mgIron: 2.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Making this tonight and cannot wait! However, you used “sauce” when you meant “reserved liquid”:
Mix cooked pasta and reserved sauce together with sauce,
Fixing now. Thanks for the catch 🙂 And enjoy the rotini!
I made this last night for the family. My 4 picky kids ate it great and asked for seconds. This recipe is definitely a keeper. It is a simple and easy one to throw together and is made with staples that we always have. Thanks for the recipe! As someone close to the CF world, I hope you and your family stay safe and healthy during this crazy time.
I am so glad your family enjoyed Cody! And thank you for your wishes for my family! I hope yours stays well too.
Hi I premade and put in the freezer, do I need to thaw out in the fridge before I bake in the oven? Or can you bake directly from being frozen?
Hi Brooke. You can bake right from the freezer. From freezer, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered, and then uncovered for 15 additional minutes. And YAY for a stocked freezer!
Could you add ground beef/chicken to this? If so how much would you recommend and would this change baking time?
Hi Rachel! Ground beef, chicken or sausage would be a great addition. I would use anywhere from half a pound to full pound. Just brown up the meat in a skillet and then mix in with remaining ingredients. Bake time will remain the same. Enjoy 🙂
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.
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!
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!