This 5-ingredient oven orecchiette is exactly the kind of dish I turn to on busy weeknights: you literally dump dry pasta into a glass baking dish, add four quick pantry items, and let the oven do the work. Orecchiette, a small ear-shaped pasta from Italy’s Puglia region, is wonderful for baked dishes because the little cups hold onto sauce and cheese. Here, everything cooks together in the oven—no boiling water, no separate pans—yet the result is rich, cozy, and impressive enough that friends will ask how you pulled it off so fast.
Serve this baked orecchiette straight from the glass dish with a simple green salad dressed in lemon and olive oil to balance the richness. A side of roasted broccoli or green beans works nicely if you want more vegetables without extra fuss. Warm crusty bread or garlic toast is perfect for scooping up the saucy bits from the bottom of the pan. If you enjoy wine, a light to medium-bodied Italian red, such as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or Chianti, pairs beautifully with the tomato and mozzarella.
5-Ingredient Oven OrecchietteServings: 4
Ingredients
12 ounces dry orecchiette pasta
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups jarred marinara sauce
2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste, optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly oil a 9x13-inch glass baking dish, or coat it with nonstick spray.
Pour the dry orecchiette into the glass baking dish and spread it into an even layer. This is your base—no boiling required.
In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the broth, marinara sauce, olive oil, salt, and pepper until well combined. The mixture will look loose; that’s what allows the dry pasta to cook in the oven.
Pour the sauce-and-broth mixture evenly over the dry orecchiette, nudging the pasta with a spoon so most of it is submerged. It’s fine if a few pieces peek out; they’ll get pleasantly chewy on top.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, making sure to crimp the edges so steam stays trapped inside. This trapped steam is what cooks the pasta through without boiling.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil—watch for escaping steam—and stir the pasta well, scraping along the bottom of the dish to release any pieces that may be sticking.
Check the pasta for doneness; it will likely be close to al dente but still slightly firm. If it seems dry, stir in a splash more broth or water (2–4 tablespoons) to keep things saucy.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top of the pasta. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to brown around the edges.
If you’d like a more deeply browned, stretchy top, switch the oven to broil for 1–3 minutes, watching carefully so the cheese doesn’t burn.
Let the baked orecchiette rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. This brief rest allows the sauce to thicken slightly and makes it easier to scoop neat portions from the glass dish.
Variations & Tips
Because this recipe is intentionally minimalist, small tweaks go a long way. For extra protein, stir in 1–1 1/2 cups cooked Italian sausage, rotisserie chicken, or drained canned chickpeas when you first mix the pasta with the sauce and broth. To add more vegetables without extra pans, scatter 1–2 cups of quick-cooking veg—such as baby spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, or frozen peas—over the pasta before covering with foil. If you prefer a creamier bake, replace 1/2 to 1 cup of the broth with heavy cream or half-and-half, or dollop ricotta over the top along with the mozzarella. For a spicier version, use arrabbiata instead of plain marinara or add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce-and-broth mixture. You can also swap part of the mozzarella for provolone or fontina for a more complex, melty cheese layer. If your oven runs hot or the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil toward the end of baking to prevent over-browning while the pasta finishes cooking.
