Oven-baked pasta has the power to turn your world around for the better. Whether a mouth-watering bowl of cheesy chicken Parmesan spaghetti bake or a pepperoni and mushroom pizza pasta for when you can’t make up your mind about which one to go for, there’s no way of messing it up — that is, unless you overcook it.
There’s a reason Italians use the phrase “al dente.” It translates to “to the tooth” and describes the ideal texture pasta should achieve after cooking — tender, yet still firm enough to give you a touch of resistance the moment you take that first bite. This way, you’re tricking your body into feeling full, since al dente pasta makes you chew more and eat less. You’re also doing your blood sugar a favor. When cooked al dente, pasta has a lower glycemic index, meaning that your body will take more time to digest the starches, thus preventing quick blood sugar spikes.
Undercooking your pasta is exactly what keeps your bake from turning into the mushy mess you were hoping to avoid all along. In order to get it just right, cut down on cooking time by up to 5 minutes from what’s indicated on the packaging. If you’re not the greatest fan of a firmer bite, there’s absolutely no need to worry because the pasta will continue cooking in the oven.
Let the sauce finish the job
To get this done right, prep your station and preheat your oven so it’s nice and warm. Put a pot on the stove, bring the water to a boil, and then toss the pasta in. It will only take a few minutes — you’re aiming for a firmer texture, so the pasta should feel quite underdone.
What you need to do next is simply drain it and toss it into the baking pan. When that’s done, just cover it with the sauce (if you’re making it from scratch, check out these tips for homemade pasta sauce), and make sure to coat every single piece evenly before popping the tray into your preheated oven. No matter how undercooked, tough, or seemingly inedible the pasta might appear at this point, it will undergo a second cook in the oven.
Thanks to the heat, the starches in the pasta will soak up extra moisture from the sauce, thus becoming soft and tender. This will improve the dish’s structure without making it soggy. Once your pasta bake is ready and those irresistible aromas are all over your kitchen, it’s time to treat yourself to a big, comforting plate.
