main dishes italian

Baked Pasta Cake Recipe

Leftover pasta bound with eggs, tomato sauce, and three cheeses, then baked until golden. A Sardinian home-kitchen way to use yesterday's pasta.

Vegetarian
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Prep 15 min
Cook 25 min
Total 40 min
Servings 4
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Pasta

Cheese

Sauce

Bind

Aromatics

Herbs

Base

Seasoning

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Instructions

  1. Finely dice the onion. Halve the garlic clove lengthwise and remove the inner germ. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over low heat and soften the onion and garlic together until translucent, about five minutes.

  2. Pour in the passata. Cook over low heat for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, then tear in the basil leaves and stir once more. Remove from the heat.

  3. Put the leftover pasta in a large bowl. Pour the tomato sauce over it and mix well. Add the grated Parmigiano, the grated Pecorino, and the Dolcesardo cut into small cubes. Toss everything together.

  4. Beat the two eggs in a small bowl and pour them over the pasta mixture. Add the breadcrumbs and mix until evenly distributed. The mixture should be moist but not soupy.

  5. Transfer everything to a buttered baking dish. Press it down lightly with the back of a spoon. Scatter a generous layer of grated cheese over the top and drizzle with a thin thread of olive oil.

  6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C (350 F) for about twenty minutes, until the top is golden and the edges pull away from the dish. Let it rest for five minutes before slicing.

Storage & Meal Prep

Refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat in a 180 C oven for ten minutes. It also holds well at room temperature for a packed lunch.

Variations

  • With Ham: Dice 100 g of cooked ham and fold it in with the pasta before baking.
  • With Peas: Stir a handful of frozen peas into the tomato sauce during the last two minutes of cooking.
  • Without Tomato Sauce: Skip the passata and add an extra egg and a splash of milk instead. The result is closer to a crustless quiche.

FAQ

Does the pasta type matter?

No. Any leftover pasta works. I have made this with spaghetti, penne, and fusilli. Shorter shapes hold together slightly better in the cake, but the difference is small.

Can I make this with fresh pasta instead of leftovers?

You can. Cook the pasta until just under al dente, drain it, and proceed. The result will be softer than the leftover version.

What is Dolcesardo?

Dolcesardo is a mild, semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Arborea in Sardinia. It melts well and is not as sharp as aged pecorino. Provolone or a mild caciotta are the closest substitutes.

Interactive Nutrition Map

4 Servings

Customize Ingredients

Cheese
Provolone
99 g
Parmesan Cheese
99 g
Pecorino Romano
50 g
Eggs
Egg (Large, Whole, Raw)
100 g
Vegetables
Canned Tomatoes (Crushed/Diced)
482 g
Onion (Yellow/White)
110 g
Garlic
1.5 g
Grains & Bread
Dried Pasta (Small)
298 g
Breadcrumbs (Dried)
14 g
Oils & Fats
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
27 g
Herbs & Spices
Fresh Basil
96 g

Per Serving

673kcalCalories
36gProtein
72gCarbs
27gFat
6gFiber
Sodium
989mg43% DV
Potassium
876mg19% DV
Calcium
757mg58% DV
Iron
4.5mg25% DV
Magnesium
107mg25% DV
Vitamin C
28.4mg32% DV
Vitamin A
261µg29% DV
Vitamin K
112.5µg94% DV
Folate
70µg18% DV
Dried Pasta (Small)
Provolone
Parmesan Cheese
Pecorino Romano
Canned Tomatoes (Crushed/Diced)
Egg (Large, Whole, Raw)
Breadcrumbs (Dried)
Onion (Yellow/White)
Fresh Basil
Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Nutrition is an estimate; actual values vary by ingredient brands and cooking methods. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Story Behind This Dish

In Sardinia, leftover pasta does not go to waste. The practical solution in most home kitchens is to bind it with eggs and cheese and bake it into a cake that works warm or at room temperature.

The cheese that makes this version different from a generic Italian bake is Dolcesardo. It is a mild, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese from Arborea, in central Sardinia. It melts into the pasta without overpowering it, and it holds the cake together without making it heavy. I cut it into small cubes so it distributes evenly through the bake rather than pooling in one spot.

I keep the tomato sauce simple. A soffritto of onion and garlic, passata, fifteen minutes on low heat, basil at the end. The sauce is there to moisten the pasta and bind the eggs, not to dominate the flavor. The three cheeses do the rest.

I use whatever pasta is in the fridge. Short shapes like penne or fusilli hold their structure a little better than long strands, but I have made this with spaghetti and it still works. The important thing is not to overmix once the eggs go in, or the pasta breaks down and the texture gets gummy.

Part of: The Sardinian Kitchen

Related: Sardinian Pasta Recipes | Sardinian Ingredients Guide