Seafood Pasta Bake (Printable)

Tender seafood and pasta in a creamy tomato sauce baked with a golden cheesy topping.

# 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 garlic cloves, 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. Grease a large baking dish thoroughly.
02 - Boil salted water and cook pasta 2 minutes less than the package time. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté finely chopped onion for 3 minutes until softened, then add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Incorporate chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, chili flakes, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Stir heavy cream into the sauce and continue simmering for 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.
06 - Gently fold in mixed seafood and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until just opaque, avoiding overcooking.
07 - Toss the drained pasta with the sauce and seafood mixture. Transfer everything into the prepared baking dish.
08 - Evenly sprinkle grated mozzarella and Parmesan over the top of the pasta mixture.
09 - Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden brown.
10 - Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The seafood stays impossibly tender while the whole dish somehow feels indulgent without being heavy.
  • It looks like you spent hours in the kitchen but actually comes together in less than an hour, which means you can actually do this on a weeknight.
  • That golden, bubbly top is honestly just therapy for your eyes and your stomach.
02 -
  • Overcooking seafood is the single fastest way to ruin this dish, so timing your addition near the end is everything—those two to three minutes are precious and non-negotiable.
  • Undercooking the pasta initially seems risky but it's essential, because it will continue cooking in the oven and the sauce, and that's what keeps it from becoming a mushy casserole instead of a dish with actual texture.
03 -
  • Make this dish in stages across the day if you want to—the sauce can be made hours ahead and reheated gently, then you just fold in fresh seafood and pasta right before it goes in the oven.
  • A good pinch of chili flakes might seem optional but it's actually the thing that makes people pause and wonder why everything tastes so good, even if they can't identify what they're tasting.
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