With so many great ratings, the general consensus is that this bake is “Easy and delicious – a real winner!” Everything can be cooked in the one pan, including the pasta, meaning there is very little washing up to do. No wonder this dish is so popular!
How to make a bacon and beef pasta bake: key tips
If you have a large ovenproof frying pan, you can cook this bake in the one pan, without the need to transfer the mixture from the frying pan to a baking dish, so that it can go into the oven.
Cook the bacon, onion and garlic in the pan first, so that the onion softens and the bacon starts to colour. Then add the beef mince and cook, breaking the mince up with a wooden spoon to prevent any lumps, until the mince is lovely and browned. The caramelisation of the mince, bacon and onion will add loads of flavour to your bake.
When you add the sauce, stock and vegies, bring the mixture to the boil, while stirring occasionally to ensure any of the flavours stuck on the base of the pan are incorporated into the mixture.
After stirring in the uncooked pasta, ensure that any pasta is submerged in the sauce so that it can absorb the liquid as it cooks in the oven.
Key ingredients in this bacon and beef pasta bake recipe
Regular beef mince and bacon rashers make this bake a meaty affair. To keep the fat content down, you can always use lean beef mince and short cut bacon.
Using a bought pasta sauce is a simple way to add a smack of flavour to a pasta bake. The cook uses a pasta sauce with red wine, but feel free to use whatever bought pasta sauce you prefer.
For the mixed vegetables, the cook uses grated carrot, grated zucchini, chopped capsicum or chopped champignons, depending on what they have at home at the time.
Spiral pasta is a great short pasta for any pasta bake as the spirals will help the sauce cling to the pasta. It’s also an easy pasta shape for kids to pick up on a fork.
Here are another 23 easy pasta bakes you may like to add to your rotation, as well as a delish-looking one-pan lasagne.
This recipe was originally submitted by kaer, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.
Ingredients
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 4 bacon rashers chopped
- 500g beef mince
- 550g Leggo's pasta sauce with red wine
- 2 cups beef stock (liquid)
- 1 cup mixed vegetables
- 250g Woolworths Pasta Spirals
- 1 1/2 cups cheese grated
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper *to taste
Method
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Step 1Grease a 12-cup capacity ovenproof dish with a lid.
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Step 2Heat oil in large saucepan and add bacon, onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft.
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Step 3Add mince, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until beef changes colour.
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Step 4Add pasta sauce, stock, vegetables, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
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Step 5Add uncooked spiral pasta. Stir to combine and pour into an oven proof dish.
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Step 6Bake, covered, at 180C for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes.
Equipment
- 1 heavy-based oven tray
- 1 saucepan
Recipe Notes
Why is my pasta bake watery?
The sauce in your pasta bake may take longer to reduce down depending on the type of mince and vegies you’ve chosen to use. Initially, the dish does need to be quite watery, so that there is enough liquid to cook the pasta. However, once you remove the lid, a lot of the liquid should evaporate until your sauce is lovely and thick. If it still seems watery, simply cook it uncovered for a while longer until you are happy with the consistency.
Can I make this bacon and beef pasta bake ahead of time?
Definitely! Make and then cool your pasta bake before storing, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can gently reheat the whole pan in a moderate oven, or reheat individual servings in the microwave.
Recipe Reviews (169)
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