Creamy Pasta Bake

Talk about needing comfort food in the middle of January when it's -40F windchill and snowy weather in the Midwest!  But this might just be the solution to the bitter cold: Creamy Pasta Bake.

Make this on the weekend, invite a few friends, and have enough for leftovers.

Really...throwing a meal together couldn't get any easier as you are getting home from campus. Boil pasta, mix sauces and bake in a dish. That's it!

Try this out, another great recipe from 'Baking With Blondie' blog!

Equipment:

5 quart sauce pan 

Mixing Bowl

PAM Spray

9" x 13" x 2" Pyrex dish

Collander / Strainer

Ingredients:

4 cups of small pasta (macaroni, penne, rotini)

1-2 tsp salt for boiling pasta

15 oz jar of 'Alfredo' sauce (I used Paul Newman's)

24 oz jar of Marinara sauce (I like RAO's Marinara)

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2-3 Tbls basil, chopped (or parsley)

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Spray your pyrex dish.

3. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

4. Bring SALTED water to a boil in your saucepan and cook the pasta until "almost" done, or better known as 'al dente'. Do not cook completely since this will bake another 25 minutes in sauce.

5. In a large mixing, combine the marinara, alfredo, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.

6. Drain the pasta and add to the mixing bowl.

7. Pour the mixture into the prepared and sprayed pyrex dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

8. Sprinkle with parmesan, pepper, and basil / parsley.

9. Cover with a piece of PAM sprayed tin foil (only on inside-touching-cheese side of the foil)

10. Bake x 25 minutes, then remove foil and broil briefly until cheese golden brown.