Four Cheese Baked Pasta (Printable)

Creamy baked pasta layered with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses and herbs.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 pound penne or rigatoni pasta

→ 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 (optional)

14 - 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Boil salted water and cook pasta until al dente, about 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add marinara sauce, dried basil, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked pasta, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, ½ cup Romano, and 2 cups of the sauce. Stir gently to coat evenly.
05 - Transfer pasta mixture to the prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses.
06 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
07 - Remove foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbling.
08 - Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh basil if desired.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It's the kind of dish that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you really didn't.
  • The four cheeses create this layered flavor thing that feels fancy but couldn't be easier.
  • It reheats beautifully, which means it's even better the next day.
02 -
  • Don't cook the pasta all the way through—that's the mistake that turns this into mush.
  • If your top isn't golden after 15 minutes uncovered, it means your oven runs cool or you didn't use low-moisture mozzarella.
03 -
  • Make this earlier in the day and refrigerate it covered; it bakes just as well from cold and sometimes even better because everything has time to marry.
  • Don't skip the 5-minute rest—it's the difference between something that tastes good and something that feels intentional.
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