I want to make a pasta bake tonight. Does the type of pasta matter? I have a really nice kind that takes a few minutes longer than regular pasta to cook in the pan, would that affect the cooking time in the oven?

Also, if I wanted to add something (chicken breast) to it, would I have to cook it first or would it cook enough in the dish in the oven?

I don't cook much, I usually bake, and I just don't want to accidentally poison half my family

Thanks!

Cook the chicken first.

Any pasta thats robust works such as penne or rigatoni.Some people even use spaghetti.

I would cook the pasta first too. Who wants nasty uncooked bits?

30 minutes in the oven is how long I would cook it for sprinkled on the top with a good quality melting cheese.

Thank you

I do both. I cook the pasta and vegggies and then bake them in the oven to brown the cheese.
Or I do a bake with spaghetti which bakes from raw, this does take a long time though.
I'd probably go for the first option, just to be sure it is all cooked and doesn't take so long.
As for pasta, I usually use penne, or frusilli or shells. They all seem to work really!
Last edited by the_melon : 16-10-2008 at 12:42

Can you not cook the chicken breast separately? I'd be worried that it wouldn't cook properly if put in raw, but then would over-cook if cooked before then being 'cooked' again...

That's what I was worrying about. I think I'll either cook it separately or leave it out completely.

Try doing a pasta bake with those large shells! Really nice!