This has got to be one of my better recipes. It’s really just as easy as the title suggest and yet it’s so delicious. Boil pasta, add it right back to that same pot, add all the remaining ingredients, bake 10 minutes, top with fresh tomatoes and basil. Done. Simple, right? Perfect for a Monday. By the way, happy Monday! I’m going to skip the details of our snowy weekend since I’m honestly just exhausted/tired of complaining about our weather. All I will say is that I stayed inside, caught up on work, surrounded myself with cherry tomatoes, fresh peaches, corn, and all the fresh berries. Oh, and chamomile and peonies too…thank God for Whole Foods and their flower department. I also made this creamed corn chicken and shared all the details on Instagram. It was delicious and made for the perfect Saturday night dinner at home. What did you all do? So, this pasta. It’s been a long-time favorite. I’ve actually been making this one for years. It was created out of the contents of my fridge and whatever was in my pantry. Since it was summertime way back when I first made this, that meant plenty of tomatoes and plenty of basil. I took those two ingredients, grabbed everything else in my fridge (literally), and about 30 minutes later I had this pasta on the table. It turned out better than I could have imagined and it’s been a favorite ever since. It’s been a while since I made this, but with summer here I thought it was the perfect time to pull out this oldie, but goodie recipe. Plus, our freezing cold summer weather calls for slightly cozier, but still summery recipes. Here’s the deal, just because this pasta bake is simple doesn’t mean it’s in lacking flavor. NO. I love a simple recipe, but I hate a flavorless recipe. Which is probably why I don’t have a ton of those 5 ingredient recipes here on HBH (though these 5 ingredient chocolate peanut butter cookies are a favorite). I know that just 5 ingredients are great and all, but I really like textures and layers of flavors, and so much color (all about the color). That can be hard to achieve with only 5 ingredients, you know? Anyway, my point is – this is simple, but oh so flavorful. What’s the secret? Well, there’s a few, so let’s talk details. First things first, boil your pasta. Really, you can use any cut of pasta you love. We’re partial to a longer cut of pasta around here, so I typically use fettuccine when making this. Penne or rigatoni would be equally delicious I’m sure. Boil the pasta, drain, and add it right back to the same hot pot. Once the pasta is drained and added back to the pot, toss in the remaining ingredients. Yes, all ingredients except for the mozzarella go in. The mozzarella will get sprinkled over the pasta just before baking. Adding the sauces and cheese to the hot pot, along with the hot pasta is KEY. The tomato sauce warms the goat cheese, which melts into the sauce, and the basil in the pesto is infused by the heat. This creates a super luscious and creamy pasta sauce. To create a really intense tomato basil flavor, I use a mix of marinara sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh cherry tomatoes. To add a spicy kick? Enchilada sauce. I know, it’s beyond weird, but trust me, the enchilada sauce is that ingredient that makes everyone say YUM. It adds a layer of spicy, smoky flavor that’s a really nice switch-up from a more classic tomato basil pasta. You don’t realize it’s there, you just taste a little bit of a spicy kick. Again, trust me, it’s delicious. To keep things creamy, I toss in some goat cheese and then swirl in just a touch of coconut milk (or heavy cream). It makes for a baked pasta that’s saucy and super creamy. Assuming you’re using an oven-safe pot, you can finish off the pasta with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and then throw it into the oven for a few minutes to melt. If you don’t have an oven-safe pot, just transfer the pasta to your favorite baker. Either option will work great! As soon as the pasta comes out of the oven, the sauce will be bubbling, the cheese will be melty, and your house is going to smell amazing. Kind of like summer. Finish the pasta with all the fresh basil you can find and sweet cherry tomatoes for a layer of light, summery freshness. It’s the perfect complement to the richness of the creamy sauce. Kind of like a salad for your pasta! I mean, kind of… This pasta bake is a summer weeknight essential. BUT it can also double as a fancy weekend dinner to serve to friends and family too. It’s perfect to prep ahead of time and then bake up just before serving. Add a side salad full of garden produce and you’ll have the perfect summer meal that’s SO EASY, very pretty, and so incredibly DELICIOUS. Monday night is looking good, am I right?? If you make this one pot 30 minutes creamy tomato basil pasta bake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite! Watch the How To Video:
