Baked Penne

4.78 from 9 votes

If you can boil water, then you can make this easy Baked Penne! It's a simple vegetarian casserole with layers of pasta, sauce and three different cheeses.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword baked penne pasta recipe, baked penne recipe, vegetarian casserole

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings people

Calories 415.9kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

16 oz box penne pasta
1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water just until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Stir in marinara sauce and toss to coat.
In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese. Add basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; stir to combine.
Layer half of the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta. Spoon the remaining pasta over the ricotta. Sprinkle mozzarella on top.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes (or until hot and bubbly).

Notes

Baked Penne Pasta with Ground Beef, Chicken or Sausage: It's very easy to add meat to this casserole if that's your family's preference. Brown and drain 1 lb. of sausage or ground beef and add the cooked meat to the pasta and marinara sauce before layering in the dish. You can also layer cooked, diced chicken in the dish (use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a shortcut).
Add veggies! Amp up the nutrition and flavor profile by layering your favorite vegetables in the casserole. Try sauteed mushrooms, onions or bell peppers, for example. Cooked zucchini, boiled and diced eggplant, or boiled asparagus would all be nice additions as well.
If you don't have penne pasta, you can substitute with another similar short pasta shape, such as rotini, ziti or rigatoni.
Don't boil the pasta until it's completely tender. You want it to have a little "bite" when you add it to the dish because it will continue to cook in the oven and you don't want to end up with mushy, overcooked noodles. Instead, remove the penne from the boiling water just before it's al dente (about 1-2 minutes less than called for on the box).
Cooking for a smaller family? Cut the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. Alternatively, you can prepare the full recipe, but divide the ingredients between two 8-inch square dishes. Bake one for now, and freeze the other for later!

Nutrition