Your perfect pasta bake

Simple, tasty, and affordable – three key aspects of the average uni student meal prep. So, what better to suit this than a pasta bake? It checks all the boxes, being totally customisable to your personal preference, while providing you with an easy meal prep that can be put in the fridge or freezer to use later when you don’t particularly feel like cooking (because that really does happen to the best of us).

All you have to do is boil your pasta, cook whatever components you want to mix it with, then bake it all together

Really, you can put whatever ingredients you want in a pasta bake. All you have to do is boil your pasta, cook whatever components you want to mix it with, then bake it all together! It can be a perfect option to get a balanced plate, with carbs, vegetables, and proteins, or could be used as a homely comfort food that warms you after a long day of lectures.

One of my personal favourites is a lasagne, something super easy that tastes great whether you have it fresh or after having been in the freezer. All you have to do is brown some mince beef in a sauce pan, add any vegetables you wish, such as onion, peppers, carrots, or peas, then mix it with tomato sauce (you could either do this with tinned tomatoes and tomato puree, or just by buying a jar of sauce to make it even easier). Then, you simply layer this mixture into an oven-safe dish, followed by lasagne sheets, then ‘white sauce’ (this can either be bought in a jar or made by mixing milk and grated cheese in a saucepan), then repeat this process one more time. After your final layer, you can sprinkle more cheese on top to your liking, then just bake in the oven until the top is golden brown. Depending on the size of your dish, this meal prep could give you around five extra portions to save for later, making it very convenient for those long days.

A pasta bake can be a game changer to your meal plan, leaving you with leftovers for days, or even being a great option when hosting friends

Obviously, the previous bake requires lasagne sheets, but there are plenty of alternative pasta bakes where you could use any pasta shape you like! For example, you could make a chicken or sausage pasta bake, something you can easily customise to your liking. To do this, you would just need to chop your chosen meat (or vegetarian substitute) into bite sized pieces, frying it in a pan until cooked. You could also add any variety of vegetables you wish, creating whatever mixture best suits your taste buds. It’s easy to customise this dish with any sauce too, whether you love a classic tomato pasta bake, can’t get enough of all things cheesy, or you want to try something different with a pesto pasta bake, the possibilities are endless. Once you’ve then combined your chosen ingredients, you guessed it, pop it into your oven-proof dish, maybe sprinkle some cheese on top, then bake until golden on top.

You really can put anything into a pasta bake, making it arguably one of the best meal preps out there. Even if you wanted to do something simple like just a tomato and cheese pasta bake, or even mac ‘n’ cheese, it really is a great way to try different combinations and have meals that last longer for when you need them.

Another great thing about a pasta bake is you could add a variety of sides to level up your meal. For example, garlic bread works perfectly alongside any pasta, or you could have oven chips or extra veggies to add interest to your plate. A pasta bake can be a game changer to your meal plan, leaving you with leftovers for days, or even being a great option when hosting friends. So, why not give it a go?