This Caprese Pasta Bake is an easy recipe that’s simple, fresh, and fast! It’s ready in just 20 minutes and uses fresh tomatoes and basil! 
Caprese pasta bake picture collage with text overlay for Pinterest.

This might be my kid’s new favorite dinner recipe! They love having both marinara and fresh, chopped tomatoes in their pasta. And the mozzarella, you can’t forget the mozzarella!

Now that I think of it, this Caprese Pasta Bake my new favorite dinner recipe, too.

Here’s why!

  • It’s ridiculously easy to make.
  • It uses up fresh tomatoes and basil that’s probably growing in your back yard now!
  • It doesn’t use the oven, just the broiler. {Think of the broiler as a giant toaster. Its purpose is to brown, not cook. So it doesn’t heat up nearly as much as the oven does.}
  • It’s ready in 20 minutes or less! Perfect for busy summer days!

Caprese baked pasta on a green plate.

Cook’s Note – Caprese Pasta Bake

  • I recommend using fresh mozzarella (or mozzarella Fresca) instead of shredded mozzarella (pizza cheese). If you want this pasta to taste like Caprese, then you’ve got to use fresh mozzarella!
  • You could use a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes instead of the fresh, diced tomatoes in a pinch.
  • Every broiler is different. I don’t know how quickly yours browns food. I suggest watching the broiler VERY carefully. You can even keep the oven door open and watch the cheese melt and get all toasty! Try not to drool. 😉

Quick & easy pasta recipes:

One-Pot Greek Pasta Recipe with Lemon & Chicken

Easy Pasta Primavera

Skinnier Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Ground Beef Stroganoff 

Caprese pasta, Caprese pasta recipe, summer dinner, recipe, quick and easy recipe, easy recipe
4.67 from 3 votes

Caprese Pasta Bake

Author Jillian - a Food, Folks and Fun original!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
4 people
This Caprese Pasta Bake is an easy recipe that’s simple, fresh, and fast! It’s ready in just 20 minutes and uses fresh tomatoes and basil! 

Equipment

  • pasta pot
  • strainer
  • mixing spoon
  • 2-quart pan

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 pound small pasta I used small shells
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil divided
  • 1 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
  • 8 ounces mozzarella fresca (fresh mozzarella)

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta as per the package instructions.
  • While the pasta cooks, move the oven rack to the second-highest position. Preheat the broiler.
  • Drain pasta and add it back to the pot. Add in the sauce, and all but 1 tablespoon of the basil. Stir until pasta is well coated.
  • Add the pasta to a 2-quart pan. Sprinkle with diced tomatoes. Break mozzarella apart into small chunks, and evenly distribute over tomatoes.
  • Broil for 2-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden in areas. Watch broiler carefully!
  • Garnish with reserved basil; serve!

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cup | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1001mg | Potassium: 596mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1382IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 319mg | Iron: 3mg

did you love this recipe?

Share it with me on Facebook and find more recipes on foodfolksandfun for more!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. christine says:

    Yes, fresh mozzarella sounds like a must for this kind of dish! Thanks for the reminder of the broiler, I’m the queen of ruining dishes because my broiler only requires 2-3 minutes and I just can’t seem to remember that!

  2. Brandy M. says:

    This looks like such a perfect weekend summer night dish. Good call on watching the broiler. I tend to forget that it’s on broil and not bake!

  3. Healing Tomato says:

    This is a super great recipe for pasta. I love all those wonderful tomatoes in it.

  4. Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says:

    Fresh Mozzarella every time! This is a wonderful recipe.

  5. The Food Hunter says:

    my kind of dish

  6. Quick recipes are a must during the week and we all love pasta!