Apart from the much-loved lasagne, pasta bakes can make hearty, comforting meals. With a bit of ingenuity, they are also a great way to sneak a few extra veggies in. Unfortunately, they can also end up a mushy mess. But with the right pasta cooking techniques, sauce and topping, pasta bakes can be gorgeously gooey midweek masterpieces.
Choosing the Right Type of Pasta
Unless it's a lasagne using sheets of pasta, it's a good idea to select the right pasta shape for pasta bakes. Preferably something that will allow the sauce to cling to it. Think traditional macaroni shapes, penne and rigatoni. I also like the spiral-shaped pasta, fusilli. The hollow tubes allow for maximum sauce clinging. I also prefer using a wholewheat pasta as much as possible. Besides the added fibre and vitamins, the firmer texture is ideal to prevent the pasta dishes being too soft and mushy.
Cooking Your Pasta Properly
This is the crucial point where most people go wrong. The secret is to undercook your pasta by two or three minutes. This is essential as it will carry on cooking when it bakes in the oven with the sauce. The next point is not to rinse the pasta, just drain it well in a colander. The starchy water that clings to the pasta is fantastic to help thicken your sauce and the pasta sauce to adhere to the pasta. Also allow the finished pasta bake to rest for ten minutes before you serve it up.
The Best Béchamel Sauce
Please don't buy jars of white sauce, they are full of funky ingredients! It's terribly easy to make one yourself. Simply make a roux and slowly add warmed milk until you have the right consistency. I use a sauce whisk to make my béchamel sauce, it's so much easier for whisking out any pesky lumps. Traditionally, your warmed milk would be infused with onion, pepper corns, mace and bay leaves. Instead, to add extra flavour, I use freshly grated nutmeg or a dollop of Dijon mustard and season well with salt and pepper.
Sneak in Veggies
Tomatoey sauces are best for concealing red onion, peppers, aubergines, cherry tomatoes and courgettes - pretty standard and economical veggies to have on hand. Creamy, cheesy sauces are good at disguising puréed pumpkin or butternut squash, mushrooms, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, sweetcorn and wilted baby spinach. You can still see most of the vegetables, but paired with pasta and cheese, hopefully the little darlings wont object too much.
With cheese, please!
Cheese can be used in several ways in a pasta bake. Choose a strongly flavoured cheese to add depth to your white sauce, such as a mature cheddar or Parmesan. Or skip the white sauce completely and spoon ricotta cheese over the layers or slices of mozzarella balls. These are creamy and soft, so make good replacements. For the cheese topping, I like to mix good melting cheeses such as gruyère, grated mozzarella and tallegio.
Crunchy Toppings
Crunchy toppings are a great way to add texture and reduce or replace the need for a cheese topping. Simply sprinkle over wholewheat breadcrumbs and spray with an olive oil spray. Or mix the breadcrumbs with chopped parsley, fresh thyme, grated Parmesan, a little lemon zest or chilli flakes. I also like adding nuts such as pine nuts, flaked almonds or walnuts.
Make Ahead Pasta Bakes
Lasagne is a classic make-ahead meal and other pasta bakes are no different. Simply assemble your pasta bake and don't bake it off. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to three days. Or, assemble in foil freezer containers, cover, label and freeze. Defrost completely and bake off.
Well known food journalist and talk show regular Rozanne Stevens is the creative chef behind Makeaheadmealz.com group and private cookery lessons. For extra recipes and tips follow @MakeAheadMealz on Twitter or Instagram: @MakeAheadMealz.
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