Here at Chez Recipe, it’s called Pasta Bake. As Mr. Recipe is currently living out of town most of the time, he feels compelled to recreate that feeling of “home” by making the very recipe that bores him to death here. Sweet justice for mama, no?

First, let me wax poetic about Barilla Plus pasta.

It’s not gross. It’s not grainy. It doesn’t taste like the box it came in. RockStar loves it.

Penne works best for the bake because the sauce can goosh into the tubes and cook the pasta from the inside and the outside. I use the rotini and the elbows for Kinda Greek Pasta Salad.

Pasta Bake

1 jar favorite pasta sauce (Mom’s is our house choice)

1 box penne

shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pour half the sauce on the bottom of a medium baking dish. Pour in pasta. Fill sauce jar back to the top with water and pour over pasta. Add salt or pepper and any fresh herbs you like. Make sure the pasta is level with the sauce or it will be too dry. Top with cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-20 more minutes.

That’s it. However, popular Recipe variations include: fresh mozzarella, a spinach and ricotta layer on top of the pasta with parmesan on top, and alfredo sauce over the pasta with italian bread crumbs on top. The possibilities are endless.