Gluten Free Pasta Bake

Nothing beats a Gluten Free Pasta Bake recipe for an easy midweek meal. Gluten free pasta is cooked in a rich tomato and pepper sauce, topped with cheese and then baked to gooey, cheesy perfection. A great vegetarian, gluten free budget meal idea.

I absolutely adore making gluten free pasta bake – it’s seen me through many a dinnertime from my childhood, through my student years and into adult life.

For me simplicity is best when it comes to gluten free baked pasta and this tomato pasta bake is as easy as it gets.

You only need a few ingredients for the tomato sauce, along with your gluten free pasta of choice. Penne, fusilli, or something fancier – it’s up to you!

If you love batch cooking meals for ease the tomato sauce can be made in bulk and frozen, ready to defrost and bake your favourite pasta in.

And while this recipe is vegetarian, you can easily add chicken, bacon, chorizo or even tuna to create whatever gluten free pasta bake you like.

The recipe is super adaptable and I’ll pop some ideas for variations – as well as my favourite gluten free pasta brands – below.

Ingredients and Substitutions

There’s a printable recipe card below with the full recipe but here are the main ingredients you will need as well as ideas for any substitutions:

• Gluten Free Pasta – Any type of gluten free pasta will work in this recipe – the best shapes for it I think are gluten free penne, fusilli, conchiglie (shell), bows or ziti pasta. In the UK I tend to use the supermarket own brand pastas (Sainsbury’s is cheapest at the time of writing) but I also love Garofalo’s gluten free pasta and the Napolina pasta.
• Peppers – I use one red and one yellow pepper in this recipe but you can use any variety or colour you like. You can swap this for a different veg if you don’t like peppers – courgette, mushrooms or aubergine all work really well.,
• Garlic – I use frozen chopped garlic but you could use four cloves of garlic (chopped or crushed) or garlic paste instead.
• Tinned Tomatoes – Tinned chopped tomatoes are super cheap. To save a few more pennies, but whole tinned tomatoes and chop them yourself. For a splurge, the Cira Pulpa finely chopped tomatoes are my absolute favourites.
• Passata – This helps to loosen the pasta sauce and make it super saucy so it doesn’t dry out in the oven too much.
• Basil – Fresh basil lives on my kitchen windowsill and it makes the kitchen smell divine! You can omit this, replace with parsley if you don’t like basil, or use dried basil.
• Oregano – I always love dried oregano in a pasta sauce. Again, omit this if you don’t like it or even switch it up with fresh, chopped oregano.
• Sugar – I know it can seem weird to add sugar to tomato pasta sauce but trust me! A tiny spoonful of sugar helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes, it works a charm!
• Mozzarella – I use a ball of light mozzarella but you can use shredded mozzarella cheese, full-fat mozzarella or pre-grated. Whatever works best for you. Swap for Cheddar or a different cheese if you prefer.
• Parmesan Cheese – Adding grated parmesan or a similar dried hard cheese just helps add a lovely flavour to the cheesy top in the oven.

Pasta Bake Variations

This gluten free pasta bake recipe is really a blank canvas to get creative with your meal!

Once you’ve tried the original recipe, here are some ideas for different gluten free pasta bake variations:

• Fry some diced chorizo with the peppers and add 1/2 tsp smoked paprika to the tomato sauce for a spicy, Spanish twist.
• Add cooked, shredded chicken to the tomato sauce to up the protein content and make it go even further. Great for using up roast dinner leftovers!
• Add extra vegetables including diced aubergine, courgette, spinach leaves, fresh tomatoes or mushrooms. Simply from off with the peppers.
• To make the cheesy top even more special, add some gluten free breadcrumbs with the cheese for a bit of crunch. You can also add crushed gluten free crisps like I do with my tuna pasta bake.
• For an even cheesier topping, add some extra varieties of cheese. Mexicana cheese add a fiery twist, or feta can add a lovely flavour.
• Up the heat by frying fresh, diced chilli with the garlic and peppers, and add a sprinkling of dried chilli flakes onto the cheesy top.

There are tonnes of different ways you can customise this gluten free pasta bake so if you find a great combination please share it in the comments!

How to make gluten free pasta bake

Making this easy gluten free pasta bake recipe is so simple – I’ve even included some step-by-step photos below to help you.

Firstly, bring a pan of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Preheat the oven to 220C / 200C Fan / Gas Mark 7.

Thinly slice the peppers. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the peppers and garlic. Fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, passata, basil leaves, oregano, sugar and salt to the pan and mix well. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer.

Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions (usually about 10 minutes into boiling water) and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, at the same time.

Once cooked, strain the gluten free pasta then add to the sauce, stirring well. If your pan is not oven-proof, transfer the pasta to an ovenproof dish.

Cover the top of the pasta with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese, then bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve straight away with some extra fresh basil leaves torn on top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before we get stuck into making this Gluten Free Pasta Bake recipe, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions…

This gluten free pasta bake with tomatoes and peppers is such an easy meal and guaranteed to become a family favourite!

It’s a great budget meal and easy to adapt to suit your tastes.

Plus at the time of writing this, gluten free pasta only costs 75p in some supermarkets.

That’s basically the same as normal pasta! So if you’re looking for an easy meal the whole family can eat, this is it.

Plus you can easily make it dairy free and vegan – or likewise add meat to it – so every diner round the table is happy!

This pasta bake recipe makes enough for four people but feel free to size the recipe up or down accordingly.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.