4 easy baked pasta recipes to keep you cozy during this cold snap

On a cold winter day, nothing warms from the inside out like a baked pasta. Whether it’s for a leisurely Sunday supper or an easy solution to a weeknight dinner dilemma, baked pasta fits the bill.

While we often think of baked pasta in terms of a red sauce-covered Italian American dish, there are myriad options when it comes to this comfort food classic, and these are among my favorites.

Some will seem familiar — boiled pasta mixed with a sauce and baked until golden and bubbly, much like Creamy Spinach Sheet-Pan Lasagna. Others are a far cry from your mother’s baked ziti, like Roasted Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Bacon.

All of them are cozy and satisfying, and easy enough to pull together any night of the week.

You didn’t need to spend your time scrolling TikTok to catch wind of the viral cherry tomato and feta cheese pasta. It seemed to take the world by storm, flooding the internet with copycat versions. So much so that I eventually tried it, and was pleasantly surprised.

It was a creamy combination of complementary flavors: the savory saltiness of feta, sweet acidity of cherry tomatoes and fruitiness of olive oil. Springboarding off this idea, I created Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta.

While I kept the basics of the original concept, I added a generous amount of shrimp, a hint of fresh lemon and a showering of toasted pine nuts. These few additions take the dish to a whole new place. It’s still simple to make, with a fresh, light taste, but more protein makes it a heartier dish — perfect for cold Minnesota winters.

Lasagna is the opposite of a social media trend. It’s not breaking news to say the Italian classic is a favorite all over the world. What may be a little controversial is why it’s so cherished. Is it the cheesiness? Is it the crispy bits around the edges? I love it all, except the laborious process of layering each element. That’s why I make mine on a sheet pan, sans layers.

Since I was looking for a creamy, spinach version, I started with a rich, ultra-cheesy bechamel-based sauce. Then I added chopped sautéed spinach, thoroughly drained of excess water to not dilute the sauce. It’s then mixed with cooked, broken-up lasagna noodles and spread out on a large, rimmed baking sheet before being baked in a hot oven.

The result is everything you love about lasagna, just more of it. Broken pieces of pasta are poking out of the sauce and browning to crispy perfection during baking, while cheesy sauce envelops the pasta underneath, keeping it creamy and tender.

Speaking of crispy perfection, that’s just one element of the roasted gnocchi that will keep you coming back for more. Store-bought gnocchi, the shelf-stable kind you buy in the pasta aisle, is tossed with olive oil, chunks of butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and chopped bacon. It’s all spread out on a sheet pan and roasted until browned. A sprinkling of grated Parmesan is exactly what this deceptively simple dish needs to bring it all together.

Of course, no feature on baked pasta is complete without at least one bathed in red sauce. My choice is a One Pot Baked Rigatoni With Sausage.

Started on the stove and finished in the oven, this flavor-packed dish usually creates a sink full of dirty pots and pans. In this version, we brown the sausage, make the sauce and cook the pasta all in one pot.

Ricotta typically is the cheese of choice, but I’ve never enjoyed the grainy texture it often gets when baked. I use cottage cheese in many of my baked pasta dishes, as it retains a richer, creamier texture.

Winter won’t last forever, but you won’t mind another chilly day if one of these flavorful pasta dishes is cooking away in the oven.

Serves 4 to 6.

Easy to make and addictively delicious, this social media-inspired dish is perfect for any night of the week. To get the best results, use Greek or French feta cheese. The domestic variety is drier and won’t get as creamy when baked. From Meredith Deeds.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in the baking dish and toss to coat. Place the feta in the center of the tomatoes and turn in the oil to coat both sides. Bake until the tomatoes have burst and the feta has softened, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of cooking water, then drain well.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and use the back of a spoon to smash the tomatoes and feta. Add ¼ cup of the pasta water and stir until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add the pasta, shrimp, remaining ¼ cup pasta water and half of the basil. Stir until evenly coated. Place back in oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through.

Remove from oven. Let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil and pine nuts and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 8 to 10.

A cross between spinach lasagna and mac and cheese, this “lasagna” needs no layering. Baking it on a sheet-pan gives you extra crunchy bits (everyone’s favorite bites) and makes the dish much quicker to cook than the traditional layered version. From Meredith Deeds.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 18- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a 12-inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the spinach (in batches) and cook, stirring, until wilted and all the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a strainer and press down on the spinach to extract any excess liquid. Place on a cutting board and chop finely. Set aside.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and cream; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, whisking often. Stir in nutmeg, cayenne, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cayenne pepper; reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 3 cups Fontina cheese and 1 cup Parmesan.

Meanwhile, use your hands to break a pound of dry lasagna noodles into 2-inch pieces. Cook according to package directions. Drain and return to the saucepan. Add the spinach sauce and toss to coat. Spread out evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Fontina and ½ cup Parmesan over the top.

Bake until bubbly and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. If you like your lasagna top extra brown and crispy, turn on the broiler and continue to brown the top for 2 to 4 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Store-bought gnocchi has a crispy on the outside, tender on the inside quality when roasted alongside veggies and bacon in this easy sheet-pan meal. From Meredith Deeds.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Arrange oven racks on the bottom and top third of the oven. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the gnocchi, squash, Brussels sprouts, bacon, rosemary, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. Spread out on the baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack until the gnocchi, squash and Brussels sprouts are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir.

Set the oven to broil and transfer the baking sheet to the top rack. Broil for 2 minutes. Stir. Broil for another 2 to 4 minutes, until the gnocchi is lightly browned.

Spoon onto serving plates, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

While you can use ricotta cheese in this recipe, cottage cheese is creamier, with less graininess than ricotta. From Meredith Deeds.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook sausage in a large, ovenproof sauté pan or 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.

Stir in whole tomatoes and their juices, using a spoon to break up the tomatoes and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in half of the mozzarella.

In a small bowl, stir together cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons basil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and ¼ tsp. black pepper.

Top pasta with dollops of cottage cheese mixture and remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you like a browner top, turn on the broiler and let the pasta broil for 2 to 4 minutes.)

Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil and serve.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.