Tomato & Cheese Pasta Bake
What can I say, I’m a sucker for a good TikTok trend 😉 and the latest one seems to be creamy pasta bakes with long noodles. I didn’t have any long noodles, but I had milk and garden fresh tomatoes (the last from our glorious 🍅 season) and I thought, why not 🤔? And boy I am I glad I did because it was a set-it and forget-it creamy delicious dish 😋 that only took 5 minutes to prepare 👍!!!
Some Notes
Noodles – Use the noodles you love and I’ll caution you, cooking times will vary based on the noodles you use. I used Orecchiette and they took about 1 hour.
Veggies – I used tomato and onion and again, use what you love. Next time, I’m adding spinach 🥬!!!
Cooking – Stir the pasta occasionally throughout the cooking process to ensure an even bake. I started the baking with 2 cups of milk and needed approximately another cup of water throughout the cooking process. Make sure the noodles stay covered with liquid through the cooking process and don’t be afraid of the liquid seen because the cheeses will bring the cheese sauce together nicely 👍!!!
Cheeses – I used Cream Cheese for the creaminess, Mozzarella for the cheese pull and Parmesan for the nuttiness and it was delightful. However, you could use any cheese you would use in a Mac & Cheese, e.g. Monterey Jack, Gruyere, American or Pepper Jack.
Protein – I added appropriately 1/4 cup of pepperoni. You could certainly keep that in the dish or add other Italian cured meats or chicken.
And if you’re looking for Mac & Cheese recipes, don’t forget Jackie’s Eats & Treats has you covered…
Baked Feta Bake – Another TikTok trend and super tasty 😋!!!
Creamy Mac & Cheese – This is the first Mac & Cheeses I made on Jackie’s Eats & Treats and the perfect mac & cheese bite!
Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese – If you are a buffalo fan 🙋♀️, this recipe is for you! Plus you can use leftover rotisserie chicken or buffalo chicken tenders, so a perfect way to clear the fridge.
Super Creamy Mac & Cheese – A spin on my Creamy Mac & Cheese and it has the ultimate cheese pull!!!
Mac & Cheese with Beer 🍺 Cheese – Perfect for the football game at home 🏠!
Lobster Mac & Cheese – This is dreamy with a lobster 🦞 cream sauce!!!
Tomato & Cheese Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Pasta Bake
- 8 oz dried pasta, I used Orecchiette
- 2 cups milk, I used 2%
- 3 small tomatoes, I used fresh garden beefsteak tomatoes that I chopped
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- Salt & pepper, for seasoning
Cheese Sauce
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup grated mozzarella
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pepperoni, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine all Pasta Bake ingredients in a medium casserole dish and stir to combine.
- Bake at 375 degrees until the pasta is cooked to your liking. Note: Keep an eye on the pasta and stir from time to time to get an even bake. Also make sure the liquid continues to cover the pasta and if liquid is needed, add additional milk or water 👍!
- Remove from the oven and stir the Cheese Sauce ingredients into the pasta. Taste and season with additional salt & ground pepper, if needed.
- Enjoy and cheers 🥂!
