Seafood Pasta Bake (Printable)

A comforting bake featuring seafood, pasta, and creamy tomato sauce with a golden cheese crust.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz penne or rigatoni

→ 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 and grease a large baking dish.
02 - Boil salted water and cook the pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion for 3 minutes until softened, then add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, chili flakes (optional), salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Stir in heavy cream and simmer the sauce for an additional 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.
06 - Gently fold in the mixed seafood and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the seafood turns opaque. Avoid overcooking.
07 - Mix the cooked pasta with the sauce and seafood, then transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
08 - Evenly sprinkle grated mozzarella and Parmesan over the pasta mixture.
09 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
10 - Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes before garnishing with chopped fresh parsley and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The seafood stays tender because it finishes cooking gently in the oven, never turning rubbery.
  • You can have it ready and in the oven in under 25 minutes, making weeknight cooking feel effortless.
  • That golden, bubbling cheese top is irresistible, and somehow makes even simple ingredients taste like you've been cooking all day.
02 -
  • Don't skip undercooking the pasta—it's the difference between a pleasant texture and a mushy, broken down dish that falls apart.
  • Adding seafood at the very end and cooking it only until opaque is crucial; every extra minute in heat will make it tough and ruin the whole dish.
  • Taste the sauce before the seafood goes in and adjust seasoning then, because salt distribution becomes harder once everything is mixed.
03 -
  • Undercook the pasta by exactly 2 minutes—set a timer and trust it, because this is the most important timing detail in the entire recipe.
  • Never let the seafood boil in the sauce; it should barely poach, turning opaque and tender rather than chewy and tight.
  • Grate your cheese fresh from a block if you can; pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting into a cohesive, creamy layer.
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