Air fryer pasta bake for two
A little dish of saucy penne with creamy ricotta and a bubbling mozzarella top, baked in the air fryer, so a small pasta bake doesn’t need the oven.
- 25 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $1.48 a serving
- 480 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 4 oz penne
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
From your pantry
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp Italian seasoning
Each serving has about 480 calories, 25 g protein, 56 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $1.48 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No penne? Rigatoni or elbow macaroni works.
- No ricotta cheese? Cottage cheese works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a medium pot of water over high heat with the salt. Cook the penne 2 minutes less than the package says, then .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 9 min
Heat the air fryer to 350°F.
Stir the penne with the marinara and Italian seasoning and spoon half into a small baking dish that fits in the basket.
Dolly’s tip: A 6-inch cake pan or any small oven-safe dish works. Check it fits with room for air around it.Dot with the ricotta, add the rest of the penne, and scatter the mozzarella and parmesan on top.
Air fry 8 to 10 minutes, until bubbling and the cheese is in spots. Let it sit 2 minutes before serving.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 9 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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