Four Cheese Baked Pasta (Printable)

Creamy baked pasta with a blend of four cheeses and savory marinara sauce, perfect for comforting dinners.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 pound penne or rigatoni

→ Cheeses

02 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
03 - 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
04 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - ¾ cup grated Romano cheese

→ Sauce

06 - 3 cups marinara sauce
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
10 - ½ teaspoon dried oregano
11 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
12 - ½ teaspoon salt
13 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnish

14 - 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Set oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Boil pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente by about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic for 1 minute until aromatic. Add marinara sauce, dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
04 - In a large bowl, mix cooked pasta with ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, ½ cup Romano, and 2 cups of sauce until evenly blended.
05 - Transfer pasta mixture into prepared baking dish. Evenly spoon remaining sauce over. Top with remaining mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses.
06 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes until the surface is golden and bubbling.
07 - Let dish rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil if desired before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Four cheeses create layers of flavor that feel indulgent without requiring any special skills.
  • The whole dish comes together in under an hour, leaving you time to set the table and actually enjoy people's company.
  • It's one of those meals that tastes fancy enough to impress but honest enough to make you feel at home.
02 -
  • Don't cook the pasta all the way to al dente or it becomes a soft, sad casserole—that two-minute undercooked pasta is non-negotiable.
  • If your cheese mixture looks too dry, add more sauce before it goes in the oven rather than trying to fix it halfway through baking.
  • Low-moisture mozzarella is your friend here if you want a less watery top layer, but regular mozzarella still produces delicious results.
03 -
  • Always use a mix of cheeses rather than relying on just one—each brings a different thing to the table, and together they create complexity that solo cheese can't achieve.
  • If you have the time, let the pasta mixture sit in the baking dish for ten minutes before adding the cheese topping; it lets everything settle and prevents the cheeses from sinking into the sauce.
Go Back