Save There's something about the smell of seafood hitting hot garlic that makes you stop whatever you're doing. I was halfway through prepping for a dinner party when a friend mentioned she'd bought the most beautiful mix of prawns and scallops at the market, and I suddenly had this vivid memory of a little trattoria near the coast where everything tasted like the sea and butter and comfort. That's when I started playing around with turning that feeling into something I could make on a regular Tuesday night in my own kitchen, and this bake became my answer—seafood that doesn't need fancy plating, just a golden crust and good company.
I made this for a small group once when everyone kept cancelling except three people, and honestly? It was perfect that way—no fuss, no showing off, just four of us eating straight from the baking dish while it was still steaming, barely bothering with plates. One guest asked for the recipe before dessert, which never happens, and I realized it wasn't about being fancy at all—it was about how the cream and tomato created this unexpected sweetness that made every piece of seafood taste better than it had any right to.
Ingredients
- Penne or rigatoni, 300g: Use a sturdy pasta shape that won't get lost in the sauce—tubes catch that creamy tomato in every bite, which is the whole point.
- Mixed seafood, 300g (thawed if frozen): Keep it varied if you can—the mix of textures from shrimp to scallops means every forkful feels different, and honestly, that's half the fun.
- Olive oil, 2 tbsp: Good enough to taste raw, because you will taste it, and it's the foundation of everything warm that comes after.
- Small onion, finely chopped: Chopping it small means it dissolves into the sauce rather than sitting there as little chunks, which somehow tastes more sophisticated.
- Garlic cloves, 2 minced: Fresh garlic here is non-negotiable—it's what makes your kitchen smell like somewhere you actually want to be.
- Canned chopped tomatoes, 400g: Honestly, canned is better than fresh most days because the flavor is concentrated and consistent, and there's no shame in that.
- Heavy cream, 150ml: This is what transforms a tomato sauce into something that feels like a hug, balancing the acidity with richness that makes sense.
- Tomato paste, 2 tbsp: A little goes such a long way toward deepening everything, giving the sauce a complexity that tastes like it simmered for hours.
- Dried oregano, 1 tsp: Oregano is the taste of the Mediterranean showing up in your oven, and it knows what it's doing.
- Chili flakes, 1/2 tsp (optional): A whisper of heat that you might not even notice but definitely would if it were missing—the kind of thing that makes people say 'wow, what's in this?'
- Salt and black pepper: Taste as you go, because seafood and cream need confident seasoning or everything stays flat.
- Mozzarella, grated, 100g: This is your golden-brown moment, melting into crevices and creating that irresistible top layer.
- Parmesan, grated, 40g: Adds a sharp, salty contrast that cuts through the richness and reminds you why cheese and seafood were made for each other.
- Fresh parsley, chopped, 2 tbsp: The final brightness that ties everything together and makes it look like you actually cared about presentation.
Instructions
- Set the stage:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C and grease a large baking dish—you're building something here, so give it the space to breathe. This is when you get all your components ready, like a small act of respect for the next thirty minutes of your life.
- Start with the pasta:
- Cook it in generously salted water, but pull it out two minutes before it's technically done—it's going back in the oven and it will keep cooking, so this is your moment to save it from becoming mush. Drain it and set it aside, trying not to eat it plain because it will smell incredible.
- Build the base:
- Heat olive oil over medium heat and let your chopped onion soften for a few minutes until it's almost translucent and the kitchen starts smelling like something promising. Add the garlic and let it just warm through for a minute—you want to coax out its flavor, not burn it into bitter submission.
- Deepen the sauce:
- Stir in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, chili flakes, salt, and pepper, then let it all simmer together for about ten minutes so the flavors start recognizing each other and becoming friends. This is a good time to taste and adjust, because seasoning early means the flavors have time to settle in.
- Add the cream:
- Pour in the heavy cream and let it swirl into the tomato in these beautiful orange-pink ribbons, then let it simmer for just two minutes so the acid and fat find their balance. Taste again—this is your last chance before the seafood goes in.
- Bring in the seafood:
- Gently fold in the mixed seafood and cook for two to three minutes, just until you see the shrimp turn pink and the scallops become opaque—any longer and you've crossed from tender into rubbery, which is a tragedy in four minutes flat. Watch it carefully, because seafood doesn't give you a second chance.
- Combine everything:
- Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and seafood, being gentle so nothing breaks apart, then transfer the whole thing to your prepared baking dish. At this point, you can actually step back and look at what you've made, which is satisfying even before it goes in the oven.
- Top and finish:
- Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top, covering all the gaps so you get golden, bubbly cheese in every spoonful. Bake for eighteen to twenty minutes until it's actively bubbling at the edges and the top is golden brown, like it's telling you it's ready.
- Rest and serve:
- Let it sit for five minutes after it comes out of the oven—I know you're hungry, but this moment lets everything settle and makes serving so much easier. Scatter fresh parsley over the top and bring it to the table while it's still steaming, because that's the whole experience right there.
Save I remember being genuinely surprised the first time I made this when someone told me it reminded them of holidays and special occasions, when in my head it was just Tuesday dinner. But that's what happened—the combination of seafood and cream and cheese under heat somehow became comfort food in its most honest form, the kind of thing people remember and ask for again.
Why Seafood Pasta Bake Became My Go-To
There's a practicality to casseroles that I used to overlook, thinking they were just for potlucks and obligations. But the truth is, there's real freedom in assembling everything in one dish, baking it, and knowing that everyone's getting the same balance of flavors all at once. Plus, it doesn't pretend to be something it's not—it's honest food that tastes like home and effort without actually requiring either one in excess.
The Seafood Question
What you use actually matters here, not because you need to be fancy but because different seafood brings different textures and flavors to the party. Shrimp is your reliable friend, scallops add that subtle sweetness, squid becomes tender if you don't overcook it, and mussels are just there looking beautiful and adding brininess. I've done this with just prawns when that's what was at the market, and with a mix that changed every time depending on what looked good that day, and honestly both work fine—the sauce is flexible enough to carry whatever you choose.
Building Layers of Flavor
The magic moment is when you add the cream to the tomato sauce and they swirl together into something that's neither purely tomato nor purely cream, but both at once. That's when you know the whole thing is going to work, because you've created a foundation that's complex enough to hold the delicate seafood without overwhelming it. Every ingredient after that is just an accent to what you've already built.
- Fresh parsley at the end isn't just garnish—it's a brightness that makes you taste everything else more vividly, so don't skip it even if you think it looks pretty enough without it.
- A splash of white wine in the sauce is a secret weapon if you have it, adding a subtle acidity that ties the whole thing together without tasting like wine.
- If cream feels too heavy, crème fraîche or even lighter cream works beautifully and makes the whole dish feel less indulgent but somehow more refined.
Save This is the kind of recipe that taught me how to feed people without anxiety, because it's hard to mess up if you respect the seafood and taste as you season. It's become my reliable answer to the question of what to make when people are coming over and I want them to feel welcomed by something warm.
Recipe FAQs
- → What types of seafood work best for this dish?
Mixed seafood like shrimp, mussels, squid, and scallops provide varied textures and flavors that complement the creamy tomato sauce.
- → Can I use different pasta than penne or rigatoni?
Yes, tubular pasta shapes like rigatoni or penne are ideal to hold the sauce, but fusilli or farfalle can work well too.
- → How to prevent seafood from overcooking?
Gently fold seafood into the sauce and cook only 2–3 minutes until just opaque before baking.
- → What can I substitute for heavy cream?
Crème fraîche or light cream can be used for a lighter, equally rich sauce.
- → Any tips for enhancing the sauce flavor?
Add a splash of white wine before simmering or use fresh herbs like parsley for added aroma.
- → How should the pasta be cooked before baking?
Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions so it retains shape and texture after baking.