Seafood Pasta Bake (Printable)

Tender seafood and pasta layered with creamy tomato sauce and baked under a golden cheese topping.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz penne or rigatoni pasta

→ Seafood

02 - 10.5 oz mixed seafood (shrimp, mussels, squid, scallops), thawed if frozen

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 14 oz canned chopped tomatoes
07 - 2/3 cup heavy cream
08 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
09 - 1 tsp dried oregano
10 - 1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Cheese Topping

12 - 3.5 oz mozzarella, grated
13 - 1.5 oz Parmesan, grated
14 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a large baking dish.
02 - Boil pasta in salted water, cooking two minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté finely chopped onion for 3 minutes until soft, then add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, chili flakes, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Stir in heavy cream and simmer for 2 more minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Gently fold in mixed seafood and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until just opaque, avoiding overcooking.
07 - Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and seafood mixture, then transfer everything to the prepared baking dish.
08 - Evenly sprinkle grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the pasta mixture.
09 - Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes until the topping is golden and bubbling.
10 - Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It feels fancy enough for guests but comes together in under an hour, which means you can actually pull it off on a weeknight.
  • The seafood stays tender instead of rubbery because you're not overcooking it before the oven does its work.
  • That bubbling golden top is basically edible happiness, and your kitchen will smell incredible while it bakes.
02 -
  • Don't skip undercooking the pasta; it's the secret that keeps everything tender in the oven instead of turning into mush.
  • If your seafood looks even slightly opaque, it's done; one extra minute in the sauce will make it tough and chewy.
03 -
  • The moment you taste that sauce before the seafood goes in is when you adjust salt and pepper, because cheese and seafood add salt later and you can't take it back.
  • Watch the baking stage closely in the last few minutes; ovens vary wildly, and you want golden and bubbling, not dark brown and possibly burnt underneath.
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