This is a cosy Creamy Pasta Bake “formula” you can make with what you’ve got! Based around a creamy white sauce that makes anything delicious, you just need butter, flour, milk, stock powder (bouillon) and some kind of cheese – but even these have subs. Everything else is up to you!
Use any pasta, long or short. Any cooked or raw meat (chopped or ground/mince). Sausage, ham, canned fish, any vegetable (fresh, frozen, canned, pickled, dried), pickles and olives. You’re only limited by your imagination! (And what’s in your pantry 😂)
Pasta Bake you can make with ANYTHING
This is a recipe for a creamy white sauce to make a big pasta bake using anything you’ve got. Just look in your pantry. Cans of corn? Frozen veg? Random bits of ham, some cooked and raw meats, cans of tuna, salmon or other fish?
How about some floppy “about-to-die” bits of veg – zucchinis, carrots, celery, eggplant. Half used jars of olives and pickles, pizza topping leftovers, and any pasta you’ve got, long or short.
Basically, ANYTHING that’s smothered in this creamy white sauce, then baked until bubbly and golden is going to taste sensational.
Welcome to the first in a series of “Make this with anything!” recipes, coming to you over the next few weeks!
The Creamy Pasta Bake “formula”
Here’s the formula for this “anything goes” creamy pasta bake:
Creamy Pasta Sauce
“Make This With Anything” creamy pasta bake is based on a creamy white sauce that makes anything taste great! Here’s what you need – and it’s highly flexible so read the notes underneath for alternatives and substitutions for every ingredient.
Pasta – any long or short pasta except tiny rice size pasta like risoni/orzo (use this recipe instead).
Butter – substitute with olive oil + switch 1 cup of flour for cream (if you can). Butter is flavour, so try not to skip this. Sub with margarine.
Flour – any type of flour fine here. Default is plain white / all purpose flour. Sub with cornflour/cornstarch (for GF option)
Milk – any type. Dairy, non dairy, full fat, low fat, fresh, long life, milk powder (reconstituted). 1.5 cups milk can be substituted with water.
Stock powder OR bouillon cube – chicken or vegetable. Sub with 1/2 cup extra parmesan + salt to taste.
Parmesan – fresh (from the fridge) is best, but even long life will work here (ie the parmesan sold in the pasta aisle). Sub with 1 tsp extra stock powder.
No stock powder OR parmesan? Add shredded cheese instead!
Add Ins – meat, vegetables, bacon, ham, fish. Fresh, cooked, canned, frozen, pickled! See below for more info for things that require cooking vs things that don’t require cooking.
Here’s what I used for the pasta bake in the top 2 photos: shredded cooked chicken, chopped cook pork, sliced red onion, frozen peas, carrots and corn. YES I seriously just raided my fridge!
How to make creamy pasta bake with anything
Firstly, gather your Add Ins and determine if there are ingredients that need cooking. The pasta bake is only in the oven for 25 minutes or so which is not enough time to cook raw meat and vegetables so they need to be cooked before mixing with the pasta and sauce. See list below of things that should be pre cooked.
Then use one of these methods:
1. No cook Add Ins
For things like canned tuna, frozen and canned corn, baby spinach, olives.
Make the creamy sauce, then just pour it over the cooked pasta and Add Ins, mix it up then bake.
2. Raw Add Ins
For all raw meats and raw vegetables, like zucchini, bell peppers/capsicum, mushrooms.
Chop everything up then cook it on the stove with a splash of oil, pinch of salt and pepper;
Mix in the flour, then add the milk and creamy sauce flavourings;
As it heats up, the flour will thicken the sauce;
Pour it over the pasta, mix than bake.
3. Roasting Vegetables
Roasting adds terrific flavour to any vegetable, so I highly recommend it for roast-able veg like pumpkin, eggplant, sweet potato, and even broccoli and cauliflower.
Chop into 2.5cm/1″ pieces;
drizzle with oil, salt and pepper (add a sprinkle of dried herbs if you want)
roast at 220°C/430°F for 20 minutes, tossing in the last 5 minutes, until caramelised on the edges;
meanwhile, make creamy white sauce; and
pour over pasta and roasted veg, toss and bake.
Pasta Bake Add ins – cook vs no cook
1. No cook Add Ins
Add Ins that do not require pre cooking are things like:
cooked chicken or other meats, ham, corn, canned salmon and tuna, cured meats
fresh or frozen spinach (or other leafy veg)
frozen peas, corn and diced veg*
grated carrot, zucchini
canned, jarred and pickled vegetables – corn, sun dried tomatoes, capsicum/bell peppers, pickles, olives
2. Add Ins that require cooking
Add Ins that require cooking include things like:
raw meats, fish, prawns/shrimp, bacon, sausages
vegetables – zucchini, carrot*, bell peppers/capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, sweet potato, eggplant
onion, garlic
* Frozen diced veg tends to be softer once thawed, giving it a head start with cooking. So small frozen veg doesn’t need to be precooked, whereas fresh does.
The recipe video below shows me making this a creamy pasta bake with chicken, bacon and baby spinach where the chicken and bacon is cooked in the same pot the sauce is made. Here are the Add Ins I used:
What pasta to use for pasta bakes
This pasta bake can be made with any pasta, long or short, including:
short pastas – penne, ziti, macaroni / elbow pasta, rigatoni (pictured above), spirals, shells, wheels, orecchiette, bow ties (pictured below)
long pastas – spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, parpadelle, egg noodles
only the exception is Risoni/Ozro and other tiny pasta – use this recipe instead.
Make this with a mix of pasta using whatever opened packets you’ve got in the fridge!!
Also, while pasta bakes are traditionally thought of as made with short pastas, they are SO GOOD made with spaghetti and other long pastas (see this Bolognese Baked Spaghetti for a sneak preview!).
Pasta Bake TIPS
6 – 8 cups of add ins is the cooked quantity, so be mindful of vegetables that shrink a lot once cooked (eg mushrooms, spinach). For leafy greens like spinach, assume they will shrink to about 1/5th of the raw volume, and mushrooms shrink to about 1/3.
Saucy and flexible!This recipe makes a generous amount of sauce, so there’s plenty of flex for how much Add Ins you use.
Storage – keeps VERY well because it’s an extra saucy pasta bake (pasta absorbs liquid very quickly, most pasta bakes are dried up and sad the next day whereas this is not).
Freezing pasta bakes – freeze cooked leftovers, or freeze unbaked (best method – cool all components, assemble then freeze)
Bake from frozen – it will takes ages (over an hour!) but can be done!
Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes per packet because it will cook more in the oven. This way, your pasta won’t be mushy and overcooked – and it keeps better too.
Some pasta bake combinations
In case you happen to be one of the few people in the world who currently has access to every and any ingredient your heart desires, here are some suggestions for combinations:
Chicken, bacon and spinach (per video below) – 500g/1.2lb chicken thigh or breast, 200g/7oz bacon chopped, 120g/4oz baby spinach
Tuscan Chicken with mushroom and spinach – 500g/1.2lb chicken thigh or breast, 300g/10oz sliced mushrooms, 120g/4oz baby spinach (remember, mushroom shrinks a LOT!), 270g/9oz sun dried tomatoes (drained)
Salmon or Tuna Mornay (per video below) – see recipe (canned tuna or salmon and corn)
Sicilian Tuna – 2 big cans of tuna + jar of sliced olives (drained) + sun dried tomatoes + frozen spinach (thawed and stirred through)
Italian Beef or Pork and spinach – 500g/1lb beef or pork mince (ground beef) + 2 tsp Italian herbs +pinch red pepper flakes + 350g/12oz frozen spinach
Sausage and kale – 500g/1lb Italian sausage, + 4 cups kale
Tuscan vegetable – 8 to 10 cups (2lb/1kg) mix of capsicum/bell peppers, red onion, zucchini, mushroom, eggplant (veg shrink when cooked)
Fishermans Pasta Bake – 500g/1lb white fish, 2 cups frozen diced veg (corn, carrot, peas), 1 leek (or onion)
Ground chicken or pork (mince) with mushrooms – 500g/1lb pork or chicken, 500g/1lb mushrooms, sliced (mushrooms shrink a LOT)
Chicken and broccoli – 500g/1 lb broccoli florets, 500g/1.2lb chicken thigh or breast
I hope you find this creamy pasta bake “formula” useful. And share what combinations YOU come up with!! I’d love to hear! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Here’s the recipe video to make the sauce and pour it over things that don’t require cooking (like canned salmon or tuna, corn, olives):
And here’s the recipe video to make a creamy pasta bake where you start with raw things like chicken and vegetables that need cooking:
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Creamy Pasta Bake “formula” – make this with ANYTHING!
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb pasta (any short or long except risoni/orzo) (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp salt (for water)
Creamy Sauce (Note 2 for subs)
- 4 tbsp (60g) butter , unsalted
- 2 garlic cloves , minced (optional, sub 1 tsp powder)
- 5 tbsp flour , any (GF option Note 2)
- 5 cups (1.25 litres) milk , any fat, any type
- 2 tsp stock / bouillon cube or powder , chicken or veg
- 3/4 cup (75g) parmesan
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Choose ONE flavouring (optional)
- 1 tsp EACH thyme and parsley , or any other dried herbs
- 1/2 tsp EACH mustard, garlic, onion powder
Add Ins
- 8 cups Add Ins – raw or cooked meats, bacon, ham, diced vegetabes (frozen, canned, fresh), canned or fresh fish (Note 3)
For Cooking RAW Add Ins (like raw chicken, mushrooms, zucchini)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Cheesy Topping
- 2 cups (200g) cheese , shredded (Note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Pasta – Boil water with 1 tbsp salt. Add pasta, bring back up to boil then cook per packet directions MINUS 2 minutes. Should be just cooked, still slightly firm in middle. Drain, return to pot.
Cooking RAW Meat & Vegetables
- Heat half butter & 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in garlic for 10 seconds, then cook your raw meat and vegetables with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Meat must be fully cooked – will not cook further in oven.
- Add remaining butter, melt. Mix in flour, then follow Creamy Sauce step 2 onwards.
Creamy Sauce
- Start here if you have NO COOK Add Ins (like canned tuna): Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir for 10 seconds, then stir in flour.
- While mixing, gradually pour in about 1/3 of the milk. Once the flour-butter mixture is incorporated into the milk, pour in remaining milk and mix.
- Add remaining milk, stock powder, parmesan, pepper and herbs (if using) and mix. When the milk starts to heat up, mix constantly to make sure the white sauce doesn’t catch on the base.
- After 4 – 5 minutes, the sauce should be thick enough that you can draw a path across the back of a spoon (see video).
Assemble & Bake
- Return cooked pasta into pot. Mix with sauce and no-cook Add Ins.
- Spread in large casserole dish, top with cheese and bake 25 minutes until golden and bubbly. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
- Butter – sub margarine. Sub with olive oil + switch 1 cup of the milk for cream (if you can, to make up richness/flavour). Butter is flavour, so try not to skip this.
- Flour – any type of flour fine here, white, wholemeal, self raising, gluten free. Cornflour/cornstarch gluten free sub: Mix 3.5 tbsp with splash of water and add that in with the milk.
- Milk – any type. Dairy, non dairy, full fat, low fat, fresh, long life, milk powder (reconstituted). Up to 1.5 cups milk can be substituted with water.
- Stock/bouillon powder or cube or seasoning – chicken or vegetable (Vegeta is my fave). Sub with 1/2 cup extra parmesan + salt to taste.
- Parmesan – fresh (from the fridge) is best, but even long life will work here (ie sold in the pasta aisle). Sub with 1 – 1.5 tsp extra stock powder.
- No stock powder OR parmesan? Add 2 cups shredded cheese instead!
- cooked chicken or other meats, ham, corn, canned salmon and tuna, cured meats
- fresh or frozen spinach (or other leafy veg)
- frozen peas, corn and diced veg*
- green onion, red onion, grated carrot, zucchini
- canned, jarred and pickled vegetables – corn, sun dried tomatoes, capsicum/bell peppers, pickles, olives
- raw meats (ground/mince^ or chopped, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, pork), fish, prawns/shrimp, bacon, sausage
- fresh vegetables – zucchini, carrot*, zucchini, bell peppers/capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, sweet potato, eggplant
- onion, garlic
- Chicken – boneless thigh best, followed by breast and ground/mince
- Ground/mince meat – chicken, beef, pork, turkey, 500g/1lb, recommend adding 1/2 tsp each onion, garlic, paprika and thyme for extra flavour, plus 3/4 tsp each salt and pepper
- Chopped meats – use steaks, chops (cut into bite size pieces or strips), pork tenderloin
- Fish – any white fish fillet or salmon. Sear whole fillets then flake and stir into sauce. Or cook cubes of fish with the sauce, like in the video with chicken.
- Do not use stewing meat – it will be tough and chewy
- Chop into 2.5cm/1″ pieces;
- Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper (add a sprinkle of dried herbs if you want)
- Roast at 220°C/430°F for 20 min, tossing halfway;
- Add to pasta, mix up with sauce, bake per recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer – I love you, but if you shred that toilet paper, I will never forgive you.
Don’t be mad but whenever I get your emails I open it immediately and scroll all the way down to read Dozer section first 😍 I send him many smooches and hugs!!! I have prepared just about every recipe in here but I’m intimidated with a few lol…thank you for all your delicious recipes…..sending love from Houston Texas
He totally steals the show Anjelykuh! 😂
Thank you so much for your in depth blogs, so interesting and informative. I’ve saved a big stack of them and I am going to try them. The last recipie of the creamy pasta bake is ideal. Thanks once again and good luck with the toilet rolls. Carol x
Thank you so much for the great feedback Carol, that’s so nice of you!!
Hey lady, you know you’ve ruined me searching for recipes ANYWHERE else but here! Lol,.. I know you said anything, but ground lamb is not a meat I’m super familiar with and need to use it tonight. Wondering your thoughts, and what else u would add if lamb is good.
If you have ground lamb to use up, try this one, from this website. My FAV way to prepare ground lamb! Another big thanks to Nagi!
https://salesdock.info/lamb-koftas-yoghurt-dressing-2/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Yes I LOVE the kofta Andie – the perfect way to use ground lamb in my books! N x
Laurie, how sweet are you?! So funny, I looked at that recipe and was worried it wouldn’t be enough to feed my brood of four. Lol Have you ever had Lamb Ragu?
You always come through, Nagi! I’ve been staring at the rotini + cans of yellowjack tuna in our pantry for 3 days, trying to figure out how to throw together a pasta bake that would come together perfectly. This is just what I needed!
That’s great to hear Bronwen!! N x
Nagi, This is brilliant !!! I have made a similar sauce for years but never thought about the add-in’s versatility you have done with this. I love your work and the Dozer Posts are a delight. I did send the post from yesterday with the crocheted “toilet paper” to my cousin which left her laughing. Toilet paper is such an issue and we have had such fun making up ways to conserve the stuff. You are such a ray of sunshine.
Thanks so much Deborah, that truly means a lot! N x
Buenísimo.
Muchas gracias.
Thank you Toyita ❤️
Nagi, you are a breath of fresh air amidst all the craziness! Thank you for that and thank you for sharing your recipes and Dozer with all of us.
Congrats on scoring the TP!
You’re so welcome Cindy!! N x
Sending this to family in more secluded areas of the USA. One thing I like to add to cream sauce is spicey brown mustard or Grey Poupon if I have it…generally a generous tablespoon or more to taste. Love this recipe since this is how I cook a lot of the time. Thank you for “standardizing” it.
Love to you both.
Lisa
Sounds great Lisa! N x
Made the Chicken Pot Pie first time ever. Great success first time. Not your first recipe I’ve done but maybe the best for me. Started cooking full time as my wife’s illness got worse. Really enjoy your blog and Dozer. From New England USA.
Use to make something similar for my kids, sometimes with pasta and sometimes with rice. Will definitely be making this in the weeks to come using whatever is at hand. Thanks for all your great ideas.
Excellent Helen – it’s so versatile! N x
A package arrived yesterday afternoon via UPS, just as my husband was taking our dog Rudi out for a pee – well bedlam ensued. Rudi and I were squeezed in the storm porch between doors. My husband was on the steps. The guy was trying to give the parcel to my husband, the dog was barking, I started running around trying to find a plastic bag to put the pkg in that my husband was now holding – Dad was calling for scissors etc. I was now yelling from the kitchen getting the plastic bag from under the sink to leave it all outside…good grief. It was like someone had just delivered a bomb. God. We have to calm down…”cam down…” package now in isolation for a week.
Love you, love your posts!
😂 I can just picture the craziness Su!!!!
LOL – nutso – as a friend whose father was a fisherman here in Nova Scotia used to say: “the sea was flat ass cam today” which is what we have to strive for. : ) they have a way with words those fishermen!
I never tire of reading your posts.
Just love your work.
Thanks so much Susan!
This looks great, awesome recipe for the lockdown!!! Thank you from New Zealand!!!
You’re so welcome!!
Hi Nagi and Dozer
I love the photo of Dozer with your lucky pack of toilet rolls.
Love your recipes also. I will definitely be trying the pasta dish you have illustrated today. I look forward to your email every week, gives me inspiration in these unusual times to cook. This recipe looks great as there can be so many substitutions. Take care, stay safe.
Yes 100% Jean!!! N x
Another sanity-saving recipe from the Queen of Cooking. Thank-you, Nagi! Stay safe and well.
Oh stop! Love this Hannah 🙂
Nagi, that was so funny, I could just picture you going for your life into the store,
It is all people talk about. My son and daughter in law because of their work had almost run out so I spent hours running around looking for toilet rolls. But the look on their faces when they saw them was priceless.
I so look forward to your recipes, thanks Nagi
Thanks so much Ann!
I’m making this tonight (not sure what will be in it yet). Thank you for another brilliant post that opens so many possibilities.
A cookery lesson which for many teachers would have taken a term ! Uhuh, can do ! Uhuh, shall do : ! So many ideas . . . which to enjoy first ?
Just tried to include you in an email . . . my old address was too ancient ! But it had to do with today’s ‘Straya where ‘me boss tested posi for the “rona so I’m in iso . . . so I popped down to Woolies for some sani but it had been bloody magpied’ ! Don’t get mad, Nagi – one of our main newspapers thought it funny too . . . hope Dozer’s vet does stay open . . .
I’m sure they’ll keep the vet open Eha, Or ill be at the door banging to get in anyway 😂
Oh Nagi! Hilarious, but sadly true! We got 8 regular rolls…12 double length not possible…
Love your posts, stay safe!
It’s a different world now isn’t it Christine 🤣😭
I was giddy when I scored my 30 roll bag of toilet paper.
Also this recipe looks amazing!
I’m so glad you didn’t get mugged on the way home! 😂
I just LOVE your no-nonsense realistic attitude to your recipes! I passed on your website/recipes countless times to friends along with the advice ‘pretty much everything from her website is 10/10.’ #communityservice
Great work Nagi! Thanks again
You’re so welcome, thanks so much Tamara!! N x
Why do I always receive your emails/recipes when I am starving hungry? I can never wait to make them and have my first mouthful! Reminds me of you heading towards the toilet paper aisle today!! Got to try and pretend you are calm 😉