Six squares in the fridge, cut before you left.
A scooped portion of pasta bake reheats badly at the edges and unevenly in the middle. A square cut cold holds its shape, because the beaten egg in the mix set while the 9x13 cooled on the counter.
Foil over the top, 375F, twelve minutes, and a bagged Caesar dumped into a bowl while it heats. Straight from the freezer it is twenty-five minutes, which makes it a Sunday decision rather than a Tuesday one.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 6. Plan on 12 minutes to reheat (assembled and baked earlier).
- 1 pound penne or ziti
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
How to Make It
- Earlier: boil the pasta 1 minute short of the package time, drain, and toss with the browned meat, marinara, egg, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Spread it in a greased 9x13 pan, top with mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake at 375F for 25 minutes until bubbling.
- Let it cool, then cut into 6 squares and refrigerate or freeze.
- After practice, reheat a square until the center is steaming hot, about 12 minutes in the oven or 2 minutes in the microwave.
Do the Slow Part Early
Assemble and fully bake the pan before you leave so it is ready to slice and reheat. Cutting it into squares means no fighting over portions when you walk in tired.
- Brown the meat and boil the pasta in the morning or the night before
- Bake the whole pan, cool it, and cut it into 6 even squares
- Stack squares with parchment between them so they pull apart easily
Store and Reheat
Squares reheat better than a scooped portion because the edges stay set. Cover them so the top does not dry out.
- Microwave one square 2 minutes, covered with a damp paper towel
- Oven from chilled: 375F for 12 minutes, covered with foil
- From frozen: 375F for 25 minutes, foil on, until the center steams
- Serve with: bagged Caesar salad, garlic bread
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Hot Italian sausage
A pound of it gives the pan more flavor than ground beef for about the same money.
Parchment between layers
Stack the squares with parchment so you can lift one without wrecking the two underneath.
Half the pan goes in the freezer
Three squares stashed now covers a night in October when you cook nothing at all.
Damp paper towel over the top
Microwave one square two minutes covered, or the cheese turns leathery on you.
Garlic bread beside it
Two frozen slices go in for the last six minutes and cost you no extra time.
Plan the next step
Build a batch-cook week
Add this to the planner so you have a baked-ahead pan ready for the next late night.