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5-Cheese Baked Pasta

A fantastic baked pasta dish that’s the perfect indulgent treat. Five different kinds of cheese and cream combine to make a dish with a whole lot of flavor!

This 5-Cheese Baked Pasta is a restaurant quality dinner that is packed with fresh herbs, creamy cheese, and tomato sauce. It comes together quickly so it’s ideal for an easy weeknight dinner, but luxurious enough to serve on a special occasion, and it pairs perfectly with all your favorite proteins.

5 Cheese Baked Pasta

5-Cheese Baked Pasta Ingredients

  • Penne Pasta: The penne does a great job of absorbing the sauce and holding the creamy cheese
  • Heavy Cream: The heavy cream blends with the tomato puree and cheese to create a rich, luxurious sauce.
  • Fresh Herbs: Chopped fresh basil adds a fresh, sweet pop and the fresh parsley rounds out the pasta with peppery earthiness.
  • 5 Cheeses: We use mozzarella, pecorino, and fontina to create the cheesy, melty goodness, and the crumbled gorgonzola and ricotta add creaminess and a bit of texture.

Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe card with exact measurements and recipe instructions.

How To Make 5-Cheese Baked Pasta

  1. Prepare the pasta: Preheat the oven, bring a pot of water to boil, and cook the penne pasta.
  2. Prepare the sauce: Mix the cream, tomato puree, cheese, salt, and fresh basil in a bowl and stir until combined.
  3. Mix the pasta and sauce: Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce mixture and stir gently until combined.
  4. Prepare for baking: Add the pasta mixture to individual ceramic baking dishes, dot each serving with a few of the diced butter cubes. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top.
  5. Garnish: Sprinkle each portion with fresh chopped parsley, green onions, and extra pecorino romano and serve immediately!

5-Cheese Baked Pasta Tips, Variations, & Substitutions

  • We used small baking dishes to create individual portions, but feel free to use a large 12 to 14 inch casserole baking dish to prepare.
  • Penne pasta is perfect for this dish, but other types of pasta will work well also, including rotini, farfalle, rigatoni, and cavatappi.
  • We don’t recommend using linguine, spaghetti, or angel hair as these won’t carry the sauce and cheese as well.
  • Instead of heavy cream, you can use whole or reduce fat milk.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Feel free to swap out some of the cheeses if you have a preference. For example, use Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago instead of the Romano, provolone instead of mozzarella or fontina, or burrata instead of mozzarella. Other cheeses to consider are mascarpone, goat cheese, feta, and taleggio.
  • If you want to use other herbs, you can try oregano, sage, rosemary, or thyme.
  • You can use chopped chives instead of green onions to garnish.
  • Add-in ideas: spinach, fresh peas, mushrooms, roasted garlic, chopped asparagus, a spoonful of pesto, or a pinch of crushed red pepper.
  • Other garnish ideas: halved baby tomatoes, chopped/crumbled pancetta or bacon.
  • You can omit the butter if you prefer.
  • You can assemble this ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for a day. To finish, just bring to room temperature, then bake until warmed through and bubbly and brown on top.
5 Cheese Pasta Recipe

What To Serve With 5-Cheese Baked Pasta

Storage & Reheating Tips

5-Cheese Baked Pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. You can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. To reheat your pasta, bring to room temperature, place in an oven safe baking dish, and bake at 350 until warmed through and bubbly. Cover with foil after 10 minutes to avoid over-browning.

5-Cheese Baked Pasta

5-Cheese Baked Pasta

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes

A fantastic baked pasta dish that’s the perfect indulgent treat. Five different kinds of cheese and cream combine to make a dish with a whole lot of flavor!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more for pasta water)
  • 1 pound penne pasta
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 10.5 ounce can tomato puree
  • 1/4 pound thinly sliced mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (plus more for garnish)
  • 1/2 cup coarsely shredded fontina cheese
  • 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
  • 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
  • 6 fresh basil leaves (coarsely chopped)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta.
  2. Meanwhile, place cream, tomatoes, cheeses, salt, and basil in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine. Add cooked pasta to cheese mixture and stir gently.
  3. Divide among six to eight shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cups capacity). Dot with butter, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes (watch it carefully). Sprinkle with extra pecorino romano, green onion, and parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

This baked pasta can be made and assembled up to a day before, just bring to room temperature before baking. Recipe adapted from Al Forno restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 983Total Fat: 75gSaturated Fat: 47gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 233mgSodium: 843mgCarbohydrates: 49gNet Carbohydrates: 45gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 30g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo
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