4 Cheese Pasta Bake Recipes

BAKED FOUR-CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish.
• Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil; add in the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (10-12 minutes).
• Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.
• Drain pasta again very well; place pasta in a large bowl.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk to a boil; remove from heat.
• In another medium saucepan, melt the 8 tablespoons butter over med-high heat; lower heat to low and whisk in the flour, cooking for 3-4 minutes (be careful not to brown the mixture).
• Slowly add in the hot milk, whisking constantly.
• Add in the salt and cayenne; increase heat to medium, and simmer, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened (8-10 minutes.).
• Remove pan from heat and add 1 cup each of the grated cheddar, asiago, and fontina cheese, whisking until the cheeses are melted.
• Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta; toss to coat the past evenly.
• Place half of the coated pasta in the baking dish; evenly sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top.
• Cover with the remaining pasta.
• In a bowl, toss the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and melted butter together.
• Pour the heavy cream over the pasta; evenly distribute the breadcrumb mixture over the top.
• Bake on the middle oven rack for 30-35 minutes or until top is light brown and mixture is bubbling.

4 CHEESE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 inches glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed.
• In 4-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over low heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently. With wire wisk, stir in flour and salt until smooth. Increase heat to medium; cook stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses. Cook until melted. Stir pasta and parsley into cheese. Pour mixture into baking dish.
• In skillet, melt 1 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat; stir in bread crumbs. Book until the crumbs are golden brown. Sprinkle over pasta mixture.
• Bake uncovered 20-25 minute.

BAKED FOUR-CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and put it in the prepared casserole dish. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just soft, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and cook for about 4 more minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cream. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken slightly. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan, Gorgonzola, mozzarella, and fontina cheeses, and season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the cheese mixture over the pasta. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly. Remove from the oven and stir to make sure the cheese and pasta are thoroughly combined.
• notes
• Great for freezing! See our Freezer Tips on pages 23-27.
• Vegetarian friendly!
• End up with extra Gorgonzola? Put it to good use! Sandy loves to stuff it into a fresh fig, then wrap the fig in a very thin slice of prosciutto. Voilà! A sophisticated garnish for a salad or an easy appetizer for your next cocktail party.

FOUR CHEESE AND CHICKEN BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and 1 cup water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the basil and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the rigatoni in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, chicken, Asiago and Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the mozzarella and the pecorino. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED FOUR-CHEESE SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well and spread the spaghetti on a baking sheet; let cool.
• In a large bowl, toss the fontina with the Gruyere and mozzarella. Spread half of the spaghetti in the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle half of the mixed cheeses and half of the Gorgonzola over the spaghetti and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with another layer of spaghetti, mixed cheeses, Gorgonzola and salt and pepper.
• Bake the spaghetti in the center of the oven until the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares and serving.

FOUR-CHEESE BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Cook penne according to package directions., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, rosemary, pepper flakes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cool for 15 minutes., Preheat oven to 400°. Drain penne; add to sauce. Stir in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella and all of the ricotta. Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella., Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

FOUR CHEESE PASTA WITH BROCCOLI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic; cook and stir until tender. Add ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, blue cheese and milk; cook until blue cheese is melted, stirring constantly.
• Add pasta, mozzarella cheese and broccoli; mix lightly. Spoon into 2-quart casserole dish.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until heated through.

FOUR-CHEESE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, using minimum cook time.
• Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, stir together remaining ingredients except Cheddar cheese and parsley. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until cheeses are melted. Remove from heat.
• Stir cooked pasta into cheese mixture. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top.
• Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.

CHEESY PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5.
• In a medium saucepan cook the pasta according to pack instructions, drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and set aside.
• Melt the butter over a low heat in the large saucepan. Once the butter it melted, add the flour and stir with the wooden spoon to form a sort of paste. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
• Gradually stir in the milk, approximately 100ml at a time, stirring out any lumps from the mixture.
• Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, then add the next bit of milk. When the sauce is ready, in around 10-15 minutes, it will be fairly thick, smooth and steaming. Don't allow it to boil (Hint! You may want to gradually increase the heat from low to medium-low as you add more milk)
• Remove the sauce from heat and stir in 250g of the cheese, mixing well until the cheese has melted.
• Transfer the pasta into the ovenproof dish, pour the cheese sauce over it and stir the mixture around, making sure that all of the pasta is covered in sauce.
• Sprinkle the mixture first with breadcrumbs, then with the remaining cheese, finally adding a dash of dried chives (optional).
• Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

FOUR-PASTA BEEF BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, peppers, onions and mushrooms over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain., Drain pasta and place in a large bowl; stir in the beef mixture, two jars of spaghetti sauce and eggs. , Transfer to two greased 3-qt. baking dishes. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°.

FOUR CHEESE MACARONI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil over high heat. Add macaroni, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and pour hot pasta into a casserole dish.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together tomatoes, italian seasoning, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.
• Stir into the hot pasta 1 cup of Cheddar, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Continue to stir until the cheeses have melted. Then stir in tomato and herb mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Cheddar, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup feta over the top of the casserole.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes.

SMOKY FOUR CHEESE MACARONI BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook for 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, and continue cooking until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 2 minutes more. Slowly stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the half-and-half and milk, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in mustard powder and liquid smoke; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, along with the cream cheese, Swiss, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar cheeses; stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the drained macaroni noodles. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs over the macaroni
• Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.