• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Sequined Life logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Vodka Sauce Pasta Bake with Crispy Panko

    Published: Jun 16, 2018 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Share via Email

    This vodka sauce pasta bake is the ultimate in comfort food. Easy homemade vodka sauce is mixed with ziti, bacon, and cheese and topped with a crispy panko topping in this crowd-favorite main dish.

    A serving spoon lifting out a scoop of baked pasta from the baking dish.

    I've already told you about all the ways I'd like to consume this lightened up vodka sauce. Forget complementing food, I've been reduced to (or have graduated to?) sneaking spoonfuls straight after making it. And I mean straight - no pasta in sight.

    Since I'm clearly looking for every opportunity to use this sauce, a pasta bake was a no-brainer. This vodka sauce pasta bake includes several of my favorite food items, such as pasta, bacon, and crispy panko, but first let's start with the pasta.

    Cooked pasta, sauce, and cheese stirred together in a large dish before baking.

    Does anyone else have favorite pasta shapes? Shells are up there on my list for their sauce-retaining abilities, I've never met a rotini pasta salad I didn't love, and those little twisties, gemelli? Rapidly climbing my list, too.

    With this vodka sauce pasta bake I kept things classic and used ziti. Ziti rigati, technically, which is why you see the ridges. I guess it technically qualifies as a baked ziti dish, but I couldn't dare call it baked ziti. For one there's no ricotta, which is a baked ziti essential. Then, bacon? Not a baked ziti ingredient. I'd refer to this as a pasta bake so as not to have an unhappy audience on your hands, simply because they were expecting one thing and got another. Even if the "other" is equally-delicious.

    Cooking for a crowd (or even just one other person) is all about managing expectations. 🙂

    Panko sprinkled on top of a pasta bake before going in the oven.

    Next there's bacon, because what doesn't bacon make better? Same goes for the mozzarella. Then there's this crispy panko topping, which is super simple to make and instantly upgrades whatever it is you're scattering it over.

    It's just panko tossed with a smidge of olive oil, which is then dispersed over top of the pasta pre-bake. Is it socially acceptable to top all my food with crispy panko? Salads? Eggs? Maybe don't answer that...

    A crispy panko mixture makes leftover risotto cakes just perfect, and adds an extra layer of crunch to coconut macadamia crusted salmon. Panko bread crumbs are definitely one of my kitchen staples.

    A round ceramic dish filled with baked pasta and topped with a layer of crispy panko.

    One very important step in this vodka sauce pasta bake is boiling the pasta. While I'm a huge fan of pasta recipes where you can skip the whole boiling thing before assembling (like this tortellini bake with spinach, easy baked ravioli with spinach and mozzarella, chicken parmesan gnocchi skillet...), it doesn't work for the dried pasta here.

    Since the pasta will cook additionally once it's combined with vodka sauce and baked, you'll want to boil your pasta until just underdone. Check out the recommended cooking times on your box of pasta (shapes differ). My box of ziti listed 8 minutes for al dente, 9 minutes for firm, and 10 minutes for tender. I boiled the ziti for 7 minutes, and found them the perfect firmness (not mushy at all) once this vodka sauce pasta bake was all baked up and ready to serve.

    Vodka sauce pasta bake in a round deep dish with a toasty panko topping.

    Recipe notes:
    • Use your favorite pasta shape! Smaller shapes like ziti, penne, shells work well to hold the sauce and make it easy to scoop out servings.
    • If you're in a time crunch you can absolutely use store-bought vodka sauce, or even regular marinara sauce if you like. However I highly recommend my lightened up vodka sauce recipe. Feels good knowing how to make sauce staples at home!
    • Once the cheese is melty and everything is heated throughout, you can also switch the oven to the broil setting to brown and crisp up the panko topping additionally.
    A serving spoon lifting out a scoop of baked pasta from the baking dish.

    Vodka Sauce Pasta Bake with Crispy Panko

    This vodka sauce pasta bake is the ultimate in comfort food. Easy homemade vodka sauce is mixed with ziti, bacon, and cheese and topped with a crispy panko topping in this crowd-favorite main dish.
    4.66 from 23 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Prep Time: 18 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 38 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 466kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 16 oz your preferred pasta (I used ziti rigati)
    • 1 ½ cups vodka sauce (12 oz), more if desired
    • 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
    • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
    • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • Cook pasta until slightly underdone. I boiled the ziti for 7 minutes, which was 1 minute less than the box-listed "al dente" timing. Drain water, and return pasta to saucepan.
    • Pour vodka sauce, cooked bacon crumbles, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese into the saucepan and stir until sauce evenly coats the pasta and all ingredients are combined.
    • Pour pasta mixture into a greased 2.5 quart baking dish and press slightly to even out the top.
    • Scatter remaining ½ cup shredded mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over top of the pasta.
    • In a small bowl, stir together olive oil and panko bread crumbs. Scatter bread crumb mixture over top of pasta and mozzarella.
    • Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until cheese has melted and browned.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4.5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 704mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7.4g | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 3.2mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer

    Photos updated in June 2018.

    « Portobello Mushroom Pizza
    Crustless Zucchini Quiche »
    • Facebook
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. G Callister says

      April 27, 2021 at 6:23 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious making it for a second time tonight. . With store bought vodka sauce.

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        April 28, 2021 at 9:52 pm

        So glad you like it! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Deborah M. says

      April 14, 2021 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      My husband is just finishing tax season.
      I wanted to do a dish that he would love and when I saw Penne pasta dish with Panko I wanted to make this for him because he loves anything with Panko!
      I added with the dish chopped up mushrooms and chicken tenderloins precooked & made it with your recipe!
      Thanks We will have leftovers tomorrow since it’s only 2of us!
      You’re one of the reasons I will have a problem going to any restaurant in our area because all the recipes I have found on Pinterest are soo much better!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        April 22, 2021 at 8:15 am

        I'm so happy you enjoyed this, Deborah! 🙂 Mushrooms and chicken sound like a perfect addition here.

        Reply
    3. Jesenia Dominguez says

      August 31, 2020 at 8:44 pm

      Hi is it seasoned Panko bread crumbs?

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        August 31, 2020 at 10:04 pm

        Hi Jesenia, you can use either regular panko breadcrumbs or seasoned ones if you have those!

        Reply
        • Kiki says

          October 23, 2020 at 10:02 pm

          Can I use regular breadcrumbs vs. panko?

        • Alyssa says

          October 24, 2020 at 10:31 am

          Yes that will work!

    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    A picture of a woman smiling with a text overlay reading well, hey there.

    Hi! I’m Alyssa and welcome to my food blog. Here you can find a variety of food and drink recipes, running the gamut from better-for-you main dishes to holiday fare, and from lighter bites to some serious desserts. All with the occasional cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure, too. ♥ Learn more →

    As Featured In...

    A collage of publication logos.

    Simple, Tested Basics

    • The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning
    • Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    • Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli
    • How to Caramelize Onions
    • How to Make Croutons
    • Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
    • Air Fryer Baked Potato
    • How to Roast Garlic

    Popular Recipes

    • Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
    • Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs
    • Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
    • Italian Anise Cookies
    • Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Contact

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Accessibility Statement

    More

    • Recipe Index
    • Dinner Hall of Fame
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Air Fryer Favorites

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2013 - 2023 My Sequined Life