Cheap cheesy pasta bake
Comforting, budget-friendly pasta bake with a simple tomato veg sauce and golden cheesy topping — feeds four and costs next to nothing.
This is the one — a proper wallet-friendly pasta bake that tastes like comfort but costs almost nothing. It uses storecupboard basics and frozen veg to bulk it out, and the grated cheddar gives that melting, golden top everyone loves.
Make it on a weeknight, freeze leftovers for work lunches, or double up for a cheap crowd-pleaser. No faff, just good, honest food that stretches a tin of tomatoes into dinner for four.
Ingredients
- 350 g dried pasta
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed or finely chopped
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 5 ml dried mixed herbs
- 5 ml caster sugar — helps balance acidity
- 200 g frozen mixed vegetables — peas, sweetcorn and carrots work well
- 150 g grated cheddar cheese — reserve half for topping
- 50 g plain dried breadcrumbs — for a crunchy top
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- ovenproof baking dish (about 20 x 30 cm)
- large saucepan
- colander
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional and get a 20 x 30 cm ovenproof baking dish ready.
Bring a large pan of generously salted water to the boil, add the dried pasta and cook for 8 minutes — aim for very firm (slightly under al dente) because it will finish in the oven.
While the pasta cooks, heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped brown onion and fry for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
Add the crushed garlic to the onion and cook for 1 minute until fragrant — don’t let it burn.
Stir in the tinned chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, dried mixed herbs and caster sugar. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly.
Drain the pasta, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water.
Return the drained pasta to the pan, add the sauce, frozen mixed vegetables and half the grated cheddar cheese. Stir together and add a splash of the reserved pasta water if the mix seems too thick.
Tip the pasta mixture into the prepared ovenproof dish, scatter over the remaining grated cheddar and the plain dried breadcrumbs. Finish with a grind of black pepper and a pinch of dried mixed herbs if you like.
Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving — this helps the bake set a little and makes it easier to serve.
Tips
- Cook the pasta slightly under al dente — it will finish cooking in the oven and stay firm rather than stodgy.
- Reserve a little pasta water; its starch helps the sauce cling to the pasta and stops the bake drying out.
- If the top browns too quickly, lay a sheet of foil over the dish for the last 6–8 minutes of baking.
- Make ahead: assemble, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then bake for 22–25 minutes straight from chilled.
- Leftovers freeze well: cool completely, cover tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Substitutions
grated cheddar cheese → mozzarella, same quantity
Noticeably differentfrozen mixed vegetables → fresh courgette and carrot, roughly 250 g combined
Noticeably differenttinned chopped tomatoes → passata, 700 ml plus 1 tbsp tomato purée
Stays closeplain dried breadcrumbs → crushed crispbread or crushed crisps, same weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 670
- Calories
- 26 g
- Protein
- 91 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I add meat to this pasta bake?
Yes — fry 300 g of minced beef or pork with the onion until browned, drain any excess fat and add it with the tomatoes in step 5. The dish will no longer be vegetarian.
How do I make this gluten-free?
Use gluten-free dried pasta and gluten-free breadcrumbs or omit the crumbs. Check tinned ingredients for any gluten-containing additives.
Can I freeze the cooked pasta bake?
Yes — cool completely, cover tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in a 180°C fan/200°C conventional oven until piping hot.
Why should I undercook the pasta before baking?
Undercooking (slightly firm) prevents the pasta becoming mushy after baking, as it will continue to cook in the hot oven and absorb sauce.
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