Baked Pasta & Cheese Supreme

This is the kind of dish that earns its keep on a busy weeknight. One ovenproof skillet handles everything: the bacon rendering, the aromatics, the sauce, the toss with cooked pasta, and the final bake under a buttery breadcrumb crust. No separate baking dish to wash.

The bacon fat is doing real work here. Once the bacon is crisp and drained, the onion and garlic cook in that leftover smoky fat, which seasons the whole pan from the ground up. Oregano gets split in half, one teaspoon into the sauce and one into the breadcrumb topping, so the herb flavor hits at two different registers.

Only a 5-minute bake means this is really a broil-finish. The goal isn’t to cook anything more, just to melt the cheese through and toast the crumbs gold.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook pasta one minute short of al dente. It absorbs sauce and finishes cooking in the oven.
• Use a sharp shredded cheese, sharp cheddar or aged provolone, so the flavor carries through the tomato sauce.
• Toss breadcrumbs in melted butter before topping. Dry crumbs stay dry and won’t brown.
• If the top isn’t golden after 5 minutes, switch to broil for 1 to 2 minutes with the oven door cracked.

Variations

• Use pancetta or guanciale instead of bacon for an Italian twist.
• Stir in a handful of baby spinach or wilted kale before the cheese goes in.
• Swap half the cheese for grated parmesan to sharpen the flavor and deepen the crust color.