Baked Pasta Recipe made with just 5 key ingredients for a healthy gluten-free pasta recipe with no mess in kitchen. No boiling water or dirty pots needed.
Raise your hand if you are all about the quick and easy meals that don’t dirty up the kitchen.. (both of my hands are raised and I am jumping up and down).
Call me crazy or neurotic but I love when I make a meal and there is little to no clean up. Sure cleaning a couple bowls and pots and pans isn’t the end of the world. But when it is the end of the day and my energy level is zero and I still have to make dinner, I want something simple.
That is where this pasta bake comes into play.
The easiest baked pasta recipe you will ever find. Plus it is gluten-free and made with 5 ingredients.
This is one of those meals that also uses what you have on hand. There is typically a box of pasta and jar of sauce somewhere floating around my kitchen. I have dairy-based and non-dairy cheeses of some type in my fridge usually too. But I love that this recipe switches things up from a usually bowl of pasta with sauce mixed it.
Plus it doesn’t require boiling water (crazy, I know) and make the entire dish in a 9×13 baking dish. And you can even store the leftovers in there like I do.
I first made this recipe when my brother came over for dinner one night. He always comes on Wednesdays to see Ezra after work and we eat dinner together. Truly such a blessing having my family close by so they can see Ez. And it is when I get to ask Seth a million questions about his life and he can fill me in on the latest.
What ingredients you need to make this:
Gluten-free pasta. I used penne-like noodles, which I think work best here. You can of course use a gluten-based pasta too but I know many of my readers do prefer alternatives due to allergies/preferences.
Full-fat coconut milk. This ingredient is my secret weapon here. It is how the sauce gets so creamy and delicious. You can use whatever milk you want but the full-fat coconut one does taste best in my opinon
Marinara sauce – or really any pasta sauce you have on hand and are craving. This would also be good with a little pesto mixed in!
Organic shredded mozzarella – can totally sub a non-dairy cheese too.
Seasonings/spices – I use garlic, onion powder, oregano and top it off with some fresh basil
How to make this gluten-free pasta bake:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and take out a 9×13 baking dish
Shake the can of coconut milk to breakup the creamy parts
Add the pasta to the baking dish and spread it across the dish
Add the milk, garlic, onion, oregano and marinara and mix well to evenly combine
Sprinkle cheese on top then cover the dish with tin foil
Bake in oven for about 35-40 minutes then remove foil and broil for about 90 seconds so the cheese starts to bubble
If you are craving some more pastas, here are a few favorites:
This couldn't be further from the truth! Gluten free pasta can be cooked just as easily as wheat pasta. Thanks to our unique blend of corn and rice, there's no risk of mushy pasta. The only difference is that the whole grain rice pasta may take a bit longer to cook as the grain must be broken down.
If cooked properly, it turns out perfectly al dente and is even good cold in a pasta salad. Gluten-free pasta in general is tricky and one minute overcooked will produce a mushy pasta that splits and falls apart. The trick? Don't follow the directions on the package!
Because of the starch, gluten-free pasta noodles tend to cling together. Add a glug of olive oil to the water and make sure to run a spoon through it to redistribute every 30 seconds during the first few minutes of cooking. Once the pasta has begun to plump you don't have to worry about it as much.
When you're eating gluten-free, you must avoid the grains wheat, barley, rye, and most oats. This is tricky because these grains and ingredients made from them are included in many packaged products.
Gluten-free pasta has a tendency to get gummy, mushy, or stick together if it's cooked for too long or too short. It's more finicky than regular pasta that way. And the cook time on the package? Don't trust it.
Because gluten-free batters contain more liquid than traditional versions, they typically take longer to bake. If you remove them from the oven too soon, you may develop a gummy, mushy texture.
Unfortunately, it is not advisable to reheat gluten-free pasta because it is made of corn and rice, both of which break down more quickly and easily than wheat. As a result, gluten-free pasta tends to become mushy and tasteless when cooked a second time.
Many gluten free foods contain refined starches like corn, potato and tapioca starch as well as soy, oat or rice flour. All of these can cause issues, especially symptoms of gas and bloating.
Tearing can be caused by your pasta dough sticking to the roller on your pasta machine. A sprinkle of cornflour should help. Pasta can also tear if you move the dough through the machine too quickly, so slowing down the process could help too.
The production of high-quality and reliably gluten-free food is fully automated and relies on the most modern technology. Rice and corn, the primary ingredients mainly used instead of wheat in gluten-free food, are also more expensive than wheat.
Because gluten free pasta is so starchy, you may need to add a little moisture to keep the sauce from thickening too much. You can either add a little of the cooking water or just don't shake as much water out of the pasta when draining it.
The oil separates and floats on the top of the water, and won't keep your pasta from sticking together. Also, when you drain the pasta, the oil will coat it, preventing the sauce from sticking to it. The only way to avoid having blobs of pasta sticking together is to use a lot of water.
Use salt! Gluten free pasta by itself is pretty boring, so adding salt can give it some much needed flavour. For 300g (10.58oz) of pasta you will need about 1 tablespoon of salt.
Gluten-free pasta is interchangeable in all recipes. The biggest difference you will find when replacing wheat pasta for gluten-free pasta is a difference in texture. Cooking times also vary with gluten-free pasta in particular, so it is important not to overcook.
Pasta generally doubles in weight and size as it cooks. Monash states that 145g (5.11oz) serve of cooked gluten free pasta, or 155g (5.46oz) quinoa pasta is low FODMAP, which equals about 1 cup of cooked pasta.
If you want a gluten-free thickener, you can use cornstarch or constarch substitute and arrowroot powder to make a slurry (use equal parts cornstarch or arrowroot powder and water, whisked together).
Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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