Baked Spaghetti and Mozzarella (With Video)

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

Servings:

4

Our baked spaghetti and mozzarella is a fun take on the traditional pasta bake (and easy enough for a weeknight to boot). It's made with a quick tomato sauce flavored with sizzled garlic cloves and a hefty amount of torn basil. Spaghetti is boiled briefly, then tossed with the sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese before being piled into a baking dish. More mozzarella is scattered on top, then it's into the oven until the pasta is tender and the cheese is browned and bubbling. Simple, straightforward, and comforting, it's a weeknight-friendly dish that's sure to please everyone at the table.

Ingredient Needs for Baked Spaghetti

Spaghetti: This recipe calls for spaghetti—a departure from more traditional pasta bakes that call for short shapes like ziti and rigatoni. To keep it from overcooking during the baking step, you'll only boil the spaghetti for 5 minutes (it should still be quite firm and crunchy).

Canned tomatoes: We like the bright, clean flavor of whole peeled tomatoes for the sauce. You'll need two large cans for this recipe (or one large can of diced and one large can of crushed, in a pinch).

Garlic: Grab two cloves of garlic for this recipe, but put down the knife—there's no slicing or mincing required. Instead, just give them a quick smash with the flat side of your knife, then peel off the skins. Once the sauce has simmered, you can opt to leave them in or fish them out before baking.

Basil: Two cups of torn basil give this simple sauce a fragrant, herby boost. Tear any large leaves and, if desired, save some small, nice-looking ones to garnish the finished dish. For even more basil flavor, toss in the stems to simmer in the sauce and remove them before baking.

Fresh mozzarella: We love the mild, milky flavor that fresh mozzarella lends to this pasta bake. You'll need 12 ounces, which you'll slice into half-inch-thick pieces. Reserve half for scattering on top, and tear the other half into smaller pieces

Three Ways to Crush Tomatoes for This Recipe

Before making the sauce, you'll need to chop the tomatoes into smaller pieces, using one of these four methods:

By hand: While it can be a bit messy, this is by far the easiest option: Simply squeeze tomatoes using your hands until they're all broken up. Keeping the tomatoes submerged in liquid while you do this will cut down on splatter.

With a potato masher: You can also use a potato masher for this step. Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl, then mash into small pieces.

Using kitchen shears: Leave tomatoes in the can and cut them into small pieces using kitchen shears.

In a food processor: The quickest method involves your food processor, though it does mean more dishes to clean. Dump both cans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until tomatoes are chopped up. Just don't process them into a smooth sauce—chunkiness is key here.

Directions

Preheat oven; boil water and pulse tomatoes:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Using a food processor, pulse tomatoes until coarsely chopped.

Alternatively, squish tomatoes with your hands, mash with a potato masher, or chop with kitchen shears.

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Cook and drain pasta; add tomatoes and half cheese:

Meanwhile, cook pasta 5 minutes (it will still be crunchy). Drain pasta and return to pot. Add tomatoes, basil, and half the mozzarella and toss to combine.

Credit:
Jason Donnelly
Transfer to baking dish and top with cheese:

Transfer mixture to a 3-quart baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Credit:
Jason Donnelly
Bake:

Bake until cheese is golden and edges are bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Credit:
Jason Donnelly

How to Store Leftover Baked Spaghetti

If you’ve got any baked spaghetti leftover, refrigerate it, covered, for up to four days. To reheat, cover tightly with foil and bake in a preheated 375-degree Fahrenheit oven until hot throughout, about 15 minutes. If desired, uncover and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to re-crisp the cheese.

What to Serve With Baked Spaghetti

Consider rounding out the meal with a bright salad and vegetable side.

Salad: You can’t miss with a classic Caesar, though a quick radicchio and endive salad, a tangle of peppery arugula with a caper vinaigrette, or crunchy Greek salad would all be formidable options.

Vegetable: As far as vegetable sides go, skip anything too starchy and instead opt for a simple yet satisfying green vegetable, like this zesty broccolini, garlicky sautéed spinach, or these braised green beans.