Easy No Boil Pasta Bake

Hollyism's Note:

Campbell's used to make a jarred pasta bake sauce that I loved when my kids were little and time was short! When it was discontinued I discovered that the same recipe could be used with any jarred pasta sauce. My oldest son, who is away at college, asked me for some easy recipes that he can make with minimal mess and time and this recipe popped into my head... I thought I'd post it since I couldn't find any others like it on Zaar.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (16 ounce) box pasta (Rigatoni, Penne, Rotini or Ziti)
• 1 (24 ounce) jar tomato sauce
• 1 full jar water (24 ounces)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees.
2. COMBINE uncooked pasta, 1 jar of Sauce and 1 jar of water in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
3. BAKE 30 minutes. Uncover and stir well.
4. TOP with cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts and pasta is tender.
5. Optional: You can add garlic powder and/or italian seasoning along with the pasta/sauce/water mixture and sprinkle grated parmesan on top of the mozzarella for great flavor and easier browning.
6. Optional: You can add small frozen meatballs or browned ground beef (if you don't mind dirtying a pan) along with the pasta/sauce/water mixture for some added protein.

Reviews

[Chef LindaV]

This was very easy, cheap and with no mess. I did add alot of Italian spices, parm cheese & a little bit of olive oil. I needed to add an additional cup of hot water and it took about 1 hour 15 min total cook time. I never cooked pasta in the sauce like this before and I am not crazy about it, it was a bit bland and had the consistancy and taste of canned pasta, it would be perfect for kids. It was really great to not have a pasta pot to wash and stove to clean. I think the addition of a sm can of tomato sauce would make this much tastier.