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One Pot Pasta Bake with Mushrooms + Cheese

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Vegetarian
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Big Kids Plate
Toddler Plate

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Why we love it:

Ok, I call this one pot pasta but it goes faster if you use two pots. One for the pasta while you’re sautéing the filling in the wider Dutch oven style pot. If you don’t have a wide, shallow pot use a regular pot and bake this off in a casserole dish. It takes a bit of time in the oven but it’s really light on prep. I’m tagging this as “Teenager’s first meal cooked alone”.
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Ingredients

  • 11⁄2 teaspoons Kosher Salt (possibly more, plus salt for pasta water)
  • 1 pound Rotelli Pasta (or pasta of your choice)
  • 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Yellow Onion
  • 1 pound Button Mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 28-ounce can Crushed Tomatoes (or tomato puree, or diced if you like it chunky)
  • 12 ounces Mozzarella (shredded) (or block, divided)
  • 1 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
  • 1 cup Breadcrumbs
  • 4 ounces Fresh Chevre (crumbled, or cream cheese or crème fraîche can be used instead)

Cooking Instructions

  • 1. PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 425 DEGREES
  • 2. BRING A LARGE POT OF SALTED WATER TO A BOIL

    Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain. If using 1 pot, wait and get started when pasta is done. Or use 2 pots and start on the sauce now.

  • 3. SAUTÉ SAUCE

    In a shallow heavy pot, melt the butter. Slice the onion into half-moon rings and add that. Slice the mushrooms and add them in. Sauté everything over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cook for another 5 - 8 minutes or until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and are browning. Cook longer if you prefer the mushrooms more well done.

    Add the can of tomatoes. Fill about ¼ of the can with water and make sure to get out all of the tomato, then add that back into the pot as well. Simmer for about 5 minutes or while the pasta finishes.

  • 4. CHEESE

    Dice about ⅔ of the total mozzarella into small cubes, about ⅓” or so. Grate the rest (if you bought shredded, do nothing else)

    Toss together the parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.

  • 5. COMBINE

    Add the pasta to the tomato sauce and veggies. Add the diced mozzarella cubes (or ⅔ of the total shredded mozz), and the fresh chevre. Stir well.

    Taste it. You may prefer more salt.

  • 6. BAKE

    Press back into the Dutch oven or into the casserole dish. Top with remaining mozzarella and all of the parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for about 20 minutes or until melted and hot.

  • 7. SERVE

    Let cool a little bit and scoop onto plates.

    Stores and reheats amazingly. I love having a pot in the fridge and digging in all week!

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Substitutions

  • GLUTEN FREE:
    use GF pasta and omit breadcrumbs
  • DAIRY FREE:
    omit dairy as listed. Consider adding either 1 cup of coconut milk, cashew cream, or tofutti to the tomato sauce and stir in to give a creamy feel. Top with breadcrumbs and a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor
  • COW DAIRY FREE:
    use buffalo mozzarella on top if you can eat that, or use 2x the chevre. Use sheep’s pecorino instead of parmesan
  • PROTEIN:
    add a can of drained white beans
  • ADD VEGGIES:
    so easy to stir in a few handfuls of baby spinach or kale, frozen peas, green beans, diced broccoli or cauliflower stems/florets, quartered brussels sprouts, etc.

Kid Friendly Version

Big Kids Plate
Toddler Plate

How to Tweak This Recipe for Kids:

  • I’ve heard of many kids over the years who won’t eat baked pasta. Before baking, just remove a portion of noodles and possibly sauce (or not) for them. Toss cheese on top and melt it just a little, or not
  • Leave some mushrooms on the side which are easier to taste if not mixed in or hiding

For Toddlers

  • Chop up the mushrooms finely and stir them in; they might not notice at this age
  • Add fresh fruit and an avocado or bread
  • You can leave the cheese on the side so they don’t get too much or if they like to see it and pick it up

For Choosy Eaters

  • If needed, leave the red sauce off and serve with butter and parmesan. Try one mushroom, nicely crisped and salted, on the side

Prep Ahead & Use It Up

  1. This is a perfect candidate to prep ahead. Either assemble and don’t bake – or bake it fully and chill it 
  2. Heat in the oven before serving – or in the microwave if you baked it and want to go quickly
  3. This also freezes well – both pre-baked and not baked
Rate this recipe:
3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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