Tender seafood pasta bake (Printable)

Baked tender mixed seafood and pasta in a creamy tomato sauce finished with a cheesy crust.

# What You'll 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 cloves garlic, 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

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a large baking dish.
02 - Boil pasta in salted water 2 minutes less than package directions, drain, and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion for 3 minutes until softened, then add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
04 - Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
05 - Pour 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 just opaque, avoiding overcooking.
07 - Mix the cooked pasta with the sauce and seafood, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
08 - Evenly sprinkle grated mozzarella and Parmesan over the top.
09 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the topping bubbles and turns golden brown.
10 - Allow to rest for 5 minutes before garnishing with chopped parsley and serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It feels fancy enough to impress without the stress of plating individual portions.
  • The seafood stays tender because you're giving it a gentle finish in the oven instead of wrestling with stovetop timing.
  • One dish, minimal cleanup, and somehow it tastes like you spent hours on it.
02 -
  • Don't skip the partial cooking of pasta; fully cooked pasta will turn mushy under the heat of the oven.
  • Seafood cooks faster than you think, especially once it hits the warm sauce—pull it off heat while it still looks slightly underdone and the residual heat will finish it perfectly.
  • Taste the sauce before it goes into the dish; it's your last chance to adjust salt and pepper without dismantling everything.
03 -
  • Mix your grated cheeses in a bowl before sprinkling so they distribute evenly and brown together rather than settling in clumps.
  • If your baking dish is shallow, cover it loosely with foil for the first 10 minutes to prevent the cheese from browning too quickly while the inside finishes cooking.
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