Cook the most delicious and comforting cheesy pasta bake in a fraction of the time in your air fryer. This pasta casserole is easy to adapt to suit your tastes and is ready to serve in less than 25 minutes for a hearty and filling family dinner.
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I do love a pasta bake, but I don't make them that often as I often want dinner on my table quickly, especially after a long day. Although easy to make, I don't always have the patience!
This air fryer pasta bake recipe has become a go to dinner recipe for us and it comes out so good, in fact AMAZINGLY freaking awesome! I've had to stop myself from making it every night!
Get all the comfort of a cheesy pasta bake in way less time with this air fryer method. I also love it because it's super easy to make it exactly to your tastes by using different protein, veggies, pasta and sauce.
Be sure to try my Ground Beef Tomato Pasta and Vegetarian Pasta Bake too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Quick and easy: Ready to serve in around 25 minutes, this is a perfect option for an easy weeknight meal.
- Budget friendly: This is a great recipe that you can easily adapt to whatever you have to hand in your pantry. It's a great end of week meal where you can use odds and ends up before your next grocery shop.
- Make ahead: This pasta casserole makes for a great freezer meal and the leftovers are easily reheated.
- Family friendly: Cheesy and comforting and made with fresh veggies and protein, this is a well balanced dish even your picky eaters will love. It's easy to substitute ingredients based on specific dietary needs too.
Ingredients
Note that these are the specific ingredients that I use, keep scrolling to find recipe variations and substitutions!
- Vegetables: Onion and red pepper. Diced finally and sautéed before being mixed with the other ingredients.
- Pasta: I used rigatoni which is great in pasta bakes and it holds up well when it's cooked in the sauce.
- Protein: I used ground turkey in this recipe which is lower in saturated fat. Brown it before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Pasta Sauce: I used a store bought marinara sauce.
- Cheese: Top the pasta bake with shredded cheese before the final cook in the air fryer.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper.
How to make an air fryer pasta bake
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Brown the meat and soften the veggies in a skillet (photo 1).
- Stor in the cooked pasta and pasta sauce (photo 2).
- Place into a casserole dish and top with cheese (photo 3).
- Cook in the air fryer til the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling (photo 4).
Recipe Variations
It's so easy to make this air fryer pasta bake exactly to your tastes by switching up one or two, or all ingredients!
- Vegetables: If you have vegetables that need using up, this is a great dish to make the most of them. Mushrooms, garlic, squash or spinach all make great additions, just soften them in a skillet as per the recipe before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Pasta: I love rigatoni for a pasta bake, but any cooked pasta like penne, bow tie or fusilli would work well, you could even make it with spaghetti or linguini. Use a GF pasta like corn to make this gluten-free.
- Protein: I had some ground turkey to use up, but any ground meats like beef, chicken or bison can be used. As per the recipe, brown in the skillet before mixing with the pasta and sauce. Make it meat-free by omitting, or using plant-based Beyond Meat.
- Pasta Sauce: I opted for a rich marinara sauce, but you can use anything you have to hand. A creamy Alfredo sauce would work great, or use a spicy Arrabbiata. The choice is yours!
- Seasonings: I simply seasoned the turkey and veggies with salt and pepper, but you can add in other dried herbs or garlic or onion powder if you like. Add in some red pepper flakes or cayenne to make it spicy.
- Cheese: I used shredded cheddar cheese, but mozzarella or Jack would work great. Use grated parmesan for a real burst of flavor, or make it vegan by using Daiya or another dairy-free cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
I made this pasta bake in my smallish 6qt basket air fryer. The dish I used meant that I had to remove the basket and place it directly into the basket base, but it still came out great. This recipe portions will easily serve two for a main dish, possibly three if you are not greedy like us!
Any dish that you would put in the oven can be used in the air fryer. I used my 7.5 inch Staub casserole dish which worked perfectly. If you don't have a small enough baking dish, then a loaf tin would work great!
If you don't have an air fryer, you can easily bake this pasta bake in the oven instead. Preheat the oven to 360F / 180c, and bake for 30 minutes. It does take longer, but will still be delicious!
Storage and make ahead
If you have any leftovers, they will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be reheated in the air fryer at 360F for around 7 to 10 minutes til heated through. You can prep the whole dish ahead of time, top with the cheese and then keep covered in the fridge til you are ready to cook.
You can also freeze the cooked pasta bake to enjoy at a later date. Let it cool, cover with foil (keeping it in it's dish) and place in a freezer bag. It will keep well for up to 4 months. Cook the pasta bake right from frozen in the air fryer at 360F, tightly covered with foil for around 15 minutes til heated through.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this air fryer pasta bake with a fresh and quick side salad that you can whip up while the bake is cooking. If you are feeling extra indulgent, then some garlic bread would be an excellent choice! Try it with:
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Cook it al dente as it will continue to cook once it is drained as well as in the air fryer.
- Dice the vegetables fairly small so that they cook quickly and combine well with the other ingredients.
- If making ahead of time, let cool fully before storing.
- This pasta bake is cooked in a 7.5 inch Staub casserole dish
This is such a great go to recipe after a busy day, and it's crazy quick compared to oven baking. Made with everyday pantry staples, it's easy and convenient to whip up this comfort food pasta bake! Plus you can easily adapt it to suit specific dietary needs. What's not to love?!
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
- Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
- Air Fryer Tuna Steaks
- Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms
I love hearing from you!! If you have tried this air fryer pasta bake, be sure to scroll down, give it a star rating and let me know what you thought!
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Air Fryer Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil (for cooking)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- salt and pepper
- 8 ounces ground turkey (or any other ground meat) (225g)
- 6 ounces pasta (I used rigatoni) (170g)
- 1 cup pasta sauce (I used marinara) (235ml)
- ¼ cup shredded cheese (4 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, you can prep the rest of the dish.
- Heat the oil in a skillet on a medium high heat.
- Once hot, add the onions and bell pepper and cook til soft. Add in the ground turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook til browned.
- Stir in the pasta sauce and cooked pasta and toss to coat. Take off of the heat.
- Pre heat the air fryer to 360F.
- Transfer the sauce and pasta to an oven proof baking dish that will fit in your air fryer. Top with the shredded cheese.
- Cook the pasta in the air fryer for 7 to 9 minutes til the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Timings may vary slightly depending on your model of air fryer.
Notes
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Cook it al dente as it will continue to cook once it is drained as well as in the air fryer.
- Dice the vegetables fairly small so that they cook quickly and combine well with the other ingredients.
- If making ahead of time, let cool fully before storing.
- Nutritional values are based on one of two servings and are an estimate only.
- This pasta bake is cooked in a 7.5 inch Staub casserole dish
- Ingredients are easily substituted to make this dish your own. Check the post for meat, vegetable, pasta and seasoning swaps.
Wendy says
Just made this but used tuna instead and added fresh baby tomatoes picked from my greenhouse. It was fabulous thanks.
Slow The Cook Down says
So glad you enjoyed it Wendy, love the tuna and tomato flavor combo!
Ela says
As a child (which i still am) i made this several times even though it was with my own twist now (in my late teens) i recreated the recipe for my whole family, after a lot of burning fingers and oil splashes... everyone loved it!!! thank you so much for the easy to follow recipe
Slow The Cook Down says
Ah so glad you enjoyed it Ela! It's a great recipe that you can easily get creative with! I'm glad you all loved it, and thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂