A nice pasta dish is an outstanding culinary staple of any dinner table, but often the amount of preparation and constant pot-watching has a tendency to intimidate once-interested chefs, resulting in them opting for the store-bought and frozen variants. If that sounds familiar, then look no further than the versatile, baked pasta dish, as provided by Martha Stewart’s cooking blog.

The benefits of a ceramic dish or large casserole container of baked pasta, such as lasagna, are plentiful. The fact that they fill up their cooking container makes them ideal for the average dinner entree that’s expected to be enjoyed by many at the next holiday party you’re hosting. Aside from absolutely satisfying any hearty appetites on the night of preparation, baked pasta dishes are also famous for reheating well in their second life as leftovers. With that being said, the full list of suggested baked pasta recipes can be found here, but here are some outstanding favorites of the bunch.

Squash Lasagna with Spinach

This recipe is perfect for those wanting a more vegetable-based lasagna, as it combines the textures and complimenting flavors of roasted kabocha squash, finely-tuned bechamel sauce, and a filling that is made up of the cheese trio that is fresh ricotta, gruyere, and parmesan. It’s sure to please anyone who tends to avoid baked pasta due to their tendency to “fill up” the stomach, and it’s tasty as can be!

Tuna-Noodle Casserole with Cauliflower

This is a dish straight from mom’s oven. The classic casserole recipe is made even better with the inclusion of wide noodles such as pappardelle, and the addition of cauliflower to the classic creamy consistency compliments the fresh parsley garnish in spectacular ways.

Baked Mac & Cheese with Broiled Tomatoes

The classic, last-minute supper dish that is mac and cheese is always a reliable crowd-pleaser. Though, you simply don’t have to only include the titular ingredients in the pot for it to impress. Make it ornate by following this guide to a stunning mac and cheese with a recipe that calls for an additional topping of cheese, panko breadcrumbs, and sliced roma tomatoes. By placing this spread atop a gorgeously prepared mac and cheese for additional time in the oven to achieve a golden-brown trim, it’s sure to impress the mac and cheese traditionalists at your table.

Salmon Noodle Casserole

Swap out the classic tuna casserole for a one-pot meal that packs in more protein with this recipe’s inclusion of salmon. This mouth-watering pasta dish is best-served with shortened pasta for its base, such as cavatappi, as it allows you to get a piece of the garnishes as well as the resident peas, dill, and scallions onto your fork alongside a small salmon bit. Not to mention, this is the ideal dish for any busy chef, as all the ingredients can be assembled a day ahead of time, leaving you with a quick primetime saver for that busy evening you surely have around the corner.

Spinach Manicotti in Creamy Tomato Sauce

While it’s traditionally reserved for those with more time on their hands due to its fine-tuned texture, nature, and flavor, the dish known as manicotti can also be versatile when you need it to be. For example, this less-of-a-hassle recipe takes advantage of the grocery store’s convenient staples of marinara sauce, frozen spinach, and manicotti shells to give you a dinner that can be prepped in under half an hour. Of course, if you find yourself with more time on your hands, you can substitute freshly cooked ingredients for the store-bought suggestions as well as substitute deveined shrimp for spinach if you need more protein.

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