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It’s Thursday…but we’re thinking about Friday dinner. This is the pasta my dad made on repeat—simple, cheesy, and heavy on sweet roasted red peppers.
Everything happens in two dishes: boil, toss, and bake until the peppers collapse and the cheese bubbles. It’s unfussy, pantry-friendly, and the kind of cozy tray you pull straight to the table.
Ready for another “when I was growing up” story?
Well, I still feel like I am growing up. Probably because I totally am, but you get the point. Anyway, this pasta is hands down one of my favorite dinners. Yes, I say this a lot, BUT this pasta will always, always, be something I love to death. Everybody loves this pasta. Ok, not the meat-eating brothers because the only meat on this pasta is the pepperoni and that just does not cut it for them. Like I say all the time, their loss. Except Brendan, this is his favorite, but he loves all food…..
Of course, I almost never get to cook for him because is off flipping upside down through the air somewhere. Figures.
Alright, so I think we all get by now that I was a pretty weird kid (still am, but I am kind of not considered a kid anymore). All throughout school when kids were going out on Friday nights I was probably home hanging with my family and eating this.
A lot of Fridays I would force myself to hang out with my friends because one, I did actually like them, and two, if I did not devote a little time to them outside of school I would not have any friends to hang with at school. I mean, it’s a two-way street, so I had to play my part, at least a little. Ok, that sounds bad. What I am trying to say is that even though I loved my friends, I still also really loved being at home with my family. Sometimes I would do a fun Friday night with friends and then the next week I would just stay home and chill out.
Still sounds totally weird, but what’s new.
Whatever I did though, this was almost always dinner on Friday night. Sometimes we would switch it up and do homemade pizza, but this pasta would then get made on Saturday.
I am not really sure when my dad actually started making this pasta, but he has made it for as long as I can remember. I am also not sure how it came to be, but my guess is he just started throwing some things in a baking dish and called it a day. To be honest, it is never made the exact some way twice. This is one of those dishes that normally does not have any measurements involved and things are just thrown in, tossed together and then loaded with cheese.
Also if I am being honest, no one will ever be able to make this as good as my dad. I have tried, over and over again, but for some reason his version always comes out better every single time. Sure, I can make a lot of things, and a lot of them I can probably do better than my dad, but this is just not one of them. Pasta and eggs are his thing.
A few key ingredients?
1.) Pasta
2.) Good olive oil
3.) Tons of mozzarella cheese
4.) Red bell peppers (most important)
This is one of the most simple pastas you will ever make. It requires dirtying only two dishes. One is the pot to boil the water in, the other is the dish to bake the pasta in.
Super simple because who the heck wants anything complicated on Friday night? Not me that is for sure.
FAQ:
Can I use a different pasta shape?
Yes—spaghetti, bucatini, or short cuts like penne work. Cook to just al dente so the oven time doesn’t make it mushy.
Do I have to use a 9×13-inch baking dish?
That size gives the right pasta depth and browning. If using a smaller dish, don’t overfill—aim for a shallow layer so peppers can roast, not steam.
How do I know it’s done?
Look for cheese that’s bronzed in spots, edges actively bubbling, and peppers soft and slightly wrinkled. A 5–10 minute rest helps slices hold together.
Can I make it less spicy or spicier?
Absolutely—reduce chili flakes and skip pepperoncini for mild. For heat, add more flakes or a few chopped Calabrian chilies under the cheese.
Dad's Friday Night Pasta Dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to your liking
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
- 1/3 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained of excess oil
- 2 tablespoons pickled pepperoncinis, optional
- 15 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3-4 red bell peppers, sliced
- Pepperonis
- 2-4 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Freshly torn basil, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain well.
- While the water comes to a boil add the olive oil (make sure the oil covers the entire bottom of the baking dish, if not add more oil), dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried dill, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. To the baking dish add three fourths of the pasta, the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and pepperoncinis. Toss well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Drizzle the pasta with a little of the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. If pasta seems a little oily add in a little more angel hair or if you would like to use all the pasta be sure to add more oil to evenly coat all the pasta.
- Add 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese and then scatter the sliced red peppers over top. At this point it will seem like there are too many peppers, but this is fine. They will cook down.
- Sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella and evenly place the pepperonis on top. Sprinkle on top 2-4 ounces of parmesan and another drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until the top is browned and the peppers have softened. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil and more parmesan. Cut and eat!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Oh and obviously, this dish is good any night of the week, but it is extra delicious on Fridays, because well it is Friday… and everything is better on Friday.
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Fantastic!! My family and I loved it. I added canned artichoke and parmesan cheese with mozzarella truly lovely and so easy. Will make again soon. Thank you fir sharing.
Hey there,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
After making this recipe once again this weekend, I felt compelled to share my appreciation here in the comments. It’s one of our favorites – it’s quite easy to prepare, yet delivers so much flavor and is incredibly comforting. It makes a generous amount of food and reheats quite well for leftovers. This will always be one of our favorites – thank you!
Hey Zach,
Happy Monday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try!🍁 xxT
I recall a recipe made with dry pasta with the same name, I can’t seem to find it I have made it several times and it was always a huge hit with family and guests.I searched Dad’s One Pan Friday Night Pasta so I am going to try and remember, I believe it is the same ingredients except the pasta is not cooked prior to baking. Keep your recipes coming!
I hope you love the recipe Annie, let me know if you give it a try! xx
I think it’s in one of her cookbooks using dried pasta 🙂
This was absolutely fabulous! My husband is not even a big pasta fan, but he (and I) could not stop eating it. I made it exactly like the recipe, and the only thing I would change is to cut the pepperoni slices in pieces (maybe quarters) so they are more interspersed in the pasta dish and easier to eat without needing a knife. We are having the leftovers tonight and we can hardly wait for dinnertime. I served this with a green salad.
Hi Ann,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
I’m not sure what I did but This didn’t turn out as I imagined 🙁 I thought it would be cheesy and gooey but it’s more like a bunch of pasta with baked cheese on top. Did I do something wrong? I guess I just thought it would be a little more saucy?
Hey April,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. This really isn’t meant to be a super cheesy, saucy, dish. If that’s what you are looking for, I would try one of these recipes:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/one-pot-30-minute-creamy-tomato-basil-pasta-bake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/one-pan-four-cheese-sun-dried-tomato-and-spinach-drunken-pasta-bake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/alla-vodka-pizza-pasta/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Finally got around to making it and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Totally different from how I imagined it tasting, but no less moreish! I cut the recipe by about a third, but still ended up polishing it off between the two of us hihi. Only change I made was subbing marinated artichokes for the pepperoncinis. This is definitely going on the regular meal rotation and getting shared with family & friends!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
Good to know, thanks so much for getting back to me!
Quick question before I make this next week: how essential is the long baking time for the dish? Would it work to simply broil the top for a couple minutes to get the peppers cooked and cheese melted? After drooling over this in my Pinterest feed 100 times over the years, I’m finally going to be able to make it having finally located pepperoni I can eat!
Hey there,
I think this recipes works best following the instructions as is:) I hope you love the dish! xTieghan
Delish! Made this last night for dinner and found it simple to make!. My only modification was to stir fry mushrooms and an onion and then added it when mixing the pasta with the oil. I am excited to have it for leftovers tonight! I will make this again for sure!
Hey Tami,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Just tried making this dish from the recipe out of your cookbook which explicitly states to add the DRY pasta to the pan and not cook it prior to baking… needless to say it was a total flop. 0/10. I was like, how can this be her favorite dinner??
Jumped on here to see if there was any way I possibly went wrong and saw that on this version you cook the pasta before hand. *faceplam
Hey Lauren,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe in the book, these are two completely different recipes. Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was AMAZING. Super easy and very tasty.
Thank you so much Samae! xTieghan
I made this dish last year and loved it. But I used a version of the recipe where you put the pasta in the dish dry and just covered it in water. I can’t seem to find that version anywhere. I can’t remember if it changed the cooking time or not. Can you let me know where I can find that version again please? Thanks!!
Hey Peggy! That version is in my cookbook, Half Baked Harvest. Do you have it?
Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi there! Making this tonight! I have your book and there it says to add the uncooked pasta to the dish, but here you pre-cook it. What’s best?
Hey Jules! The recipe in the book is a different method and slightly different recipe. I like both variations, so it’s really up to you! I make the recipe in the book most often. It’s a bit easier. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Do you know if it can be made ahead of time, frozen, and reheated for serving?
HI! Yes, you can make ahead and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed! OR if baking before freezing, thaw in the fridge and warm at 400 for 20 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this after seeing your post on Instagram Story video. It was delicious! But the version I saw was made with the raw pasta put right in the dish and covered with water. Is that version of the recipe printed anywhere?
Hey Peggy! That version is in my cookbook! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
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