This 4-ingredient warm summer evening bake is the kind of rich, hands-off dinner I lean on when the day has been long and the house is already hot. Dry paccheri pasta soaks up a creamy tomato sauce right in the oven, with pockets of melty cheese that bubble and caramelize into dark, umami-rich edges. It’s simple, cozy, and can be assembled hours ahead, so all you have to do later is slide the dish into the oven and let it do its thing while you sit on the porch and breathe for a minute.
Serve this bake straight from the dish with a simple green salad dressed in lemon and olive oil, or sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with a pinch of salt if it’s too hot to fuss. A crusty baguette or garlic toast is great for scooping up the saucy bits along the edges. For the grown-ups, a chilled glass of white wine or a light red works nicely; for kids, I like to pour sparkling water over a splash of fruit juice so it feels a little special. This dish is rich, so keep the sides fresh and crisp to balance it out.
4-Ingredient Summer Paccheri Oven BakeServings: 4-6
Ingredients
12 oz (about 340 g) dry paccheri pasta
3 cups (about 710 ml) jarred marinara or tomato basil pasta sauce
2 cups (about 475 ml) heavy cream
2 cups (about 200 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
Directions
Lightly grease a 9x13-inch (or similar) baking dish with a bit of oil or cooking spray so the pasta doesn’t stick too much around the edges.
Pour the dry paccheri into the baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Don’t worry if some pieces overlap; they’ll settle as they cook.
In a large bowl or measuring pitcher, whisk together the marinara sauce and heavy cream until the color is a smooth, rosy pink and there are no streaks of cream.
Pour the creamy tomato mixture evenly over the dry paccheri. Use a spoon to gently stir and nudge the pasta so most of the pieces are coated and submerged. A few tips of pasta sticking out are fine—they’ll get nice and toasty.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top, making sure to cover most of the surface. This is what will bubble and brown into that glistening, slightly dark, umami-rich crust.
If you’re baking later, cover the dish tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. When you’re about ready to eat, pull it out of the fridge while the oven preheats so the chill comes off a bit.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). If the dish was refrigerated, remove the foil before baking so the cheese can brown, but keep the dish on the counter while the oven heats.
Place the baking dish on the middle rack and bake, uncovered, for 40–50 minutes, or until the pasta is tender when pierced with a fork, the sauce is bubbling all around the edges, and the top is golden with some deeper brown, caramelized spots.
If the top isn’t as browned as you like once the pasta is tender, you can switch the oven to broil for 1–3 minutes, watching very closely, until the cheese is deeply golden with dark, crispy edges.
Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. This helps the sauce thicken slightly and makes it easier to scoop neat portions.
Scoop into bowls or onto plates, making sure everyone gets some of the browned, crispy top and the saucy pasta underneath.
Variations & Tips
You can easily adjust this to fit your family’s tastes while still keeping it simple. For a slightly lighter version, use half-and-half in place of some of the heavy cream (for example, 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup half-and-half), but keep in mind the sauce will be a bit thinner and may not get quite as rich. If your kids like extra cheese, add another 1/2 cup of mozzarella on top or tuck a few small cubes of mozzarella down into the pasta before baking for surprise gooey pockets. If you have picky eaters who shy away from tomato chunks, choose a very smooth marinara or blend your sauce before mixing with the cream. To add a little more flavor without increasing the ingredient list, lean on what’s already in your pantry: use a garlicky or herby marinara, or a spicy arrabbiata sauce if your crew likes heat. For make-ahead, you can assemble the dish up to 6 hours before baking and keep it covered in the fridge; if it seems very thick when you’re ready to bake, splash 1–2 tablespoons of water or cream around the edges before it goes into the oven. Leftovers should be cooled, covered, and refrigerated within 2 hours and eaten within 3–4 days; reheat in a 325°F (165°C) oven, covered, until hot in the center, or warm individual portions in the microwave until steaming. Always make sure the bake is heated through to a safe temperature before serving, especially if it has been chilled—pasta dishes with cream and cheese should be piping hot in the middle to avoid any food safety issues. If you’re cooking this in a glass baking dish, avoid placing a cold dish straight from the fridge into a very hot oven to prevent cracking; let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
