This hearty Baked Penne Pasta is perfect for a hungry crowd or to take to a potluck. If you want an ever more frugal recipe, check out my Bucatini Cacio e Pepe recipe!
Packed with ground beef, Italian sausage, veggies, bits of velvety cream cheese, and shredded cheese, this pasta bake is the ultimate comfort food!
I don't know about you, but occasionally I crave a good pasta dish. This Baked Penne Pasta recipe hits the spot. It's easy to throw together at the last minute and trust me, your family will thank you!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The ingredients are similar to lasagna (pasta, sauce, meat, and cheese) but it's way easier to prepare than lasagna.
- This is one of those recipes that you can prepare at the last minute to take to a sick friend or when you have unexpected guests.
- Leftovers may taste even better!
🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
🔖 Ingredient & Substitutions
- Meat — Besides ground beef, I like to add Italian sausage to my pasta sauce. I think it really adds to the flavor. You can either use mild or hot sausage, but you know which one I'll be using... Feel free to substitute ground turkey for the beef.
- Pasta — I'm using penne pasta but you may substitute with ziti pasta.
- Red Wine — Red wine is always included in my pasta sauces. I like using deep red wines, like burgundy or chianti but any red blend is fine. If you need to, you can leave it out!
- Cream Cheese — Some pasta recipes call for sour cream, but I prefer cream cheese. It adds an irresistible creaminess to this dish. Feel free to add more if you like. You can, however, substitute ricotta cheese.
- Mushrooms — Use your favorite mushrooms. I used gourmet dried mushrooms. If you do the same, just soak them according to the directions on the container. Be sure to reserve the liquid, you'll need it later in the recipe!
- Pasta Sauce — Instead of jarred spaghetti sauce, I like using pasta sauce and adding my own touches including tomato paste, wine, and plenty of garlic and herbs. You can also use tomato sauce.
- Shredded Cheese — You can use mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, or your favorite cheese mix. You may also want to sprinkle the whole casserole with parmesan cheese.
🍝 How to Make Baked Penne Pasta
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. You can add up to 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the water. This will be used for cooking the pasta.
Prepare Pasta Sauce
Step 2: Remove the sausage casing and add the sausage to a large stockpot along with the ground beef, onion, green pepper, garlic, and mushrooms. Add salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, basil, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Cook over low to medium heat until the meat is no longer pink.
Step 3: Add tomato paste, ¾ cup water (or ¾ cup liquid from soaked mushrooms), red wine, and pasta sauce to the same pot. Mix the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook Pasta
Step 4: Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Stir to discourage the pasta from sticking together. Cook for 12 minutes, then drain.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
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Assembly
Step 5: To assemble the baked penne pasta, spray the bottom of a deep lasagna pan or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add a cup of pasta sauce, followed by some of the cooked pasta.
Step 6: Distribute some cubed cream cheese and shredded cheese over the pasta along with more pasta sauce. Repeat with the remaining pasta mixture, making sure the pasta is completely covered with the sauce. You'll want to end with one cup of shredded mozzarella or other shredded cheese.
Step 7: Cover the baking dish with foil that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake the penne pasta for 30 minutes.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve baked penne pasta with some crusty garlic bread, and this light and refreshing pear and arugula salad.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Cook Penne Pasta for 10 to 12 minutes, or until “al dente.” The Italian term "al dente" simply means "firm to the bite." This means you cook the pasta until it reaches the ideal consistency.
Another reason you don't want to overcook the pasta (especially for this Baked Penne Pasta recipe) is that it will cook for an additional 30 minutes in the oven.
Although you can use your favorite wine in the sauce, stay away from overly sweet wines like Rieslings and Moscatos. Instead, use wines with a dark and bold flavor, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Chianti.
🍤 More Pasta Recipes
Looking for more tasty pasta recipes? Look no further than these delicious options: You'll fall in love with this pink pasta (pasta rosa) and this creamy shrimp pasta. Another hearty option is this buffalo chicken pasta bake and this lasagna al forno! Finally, give this tempting crock pot cajun chicken pasta a try, we know you'll love it!
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- I always have a large container of dried gourmet mushrooms on hand. The best part about using these mushrooms is that you can use the mushroom broth (the liquid that the mushrooms are soaked in) to enhance the flavor of the sauce.
- Be sure to spray the foil prior to covering the pasta with it. This will keep the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- When preparing this easy-baked penne pasta you can sneak in extra veggies too, for example, zucchini.
- When reheating the Baked Penne Pasta, add a small amount of liquid/broth. This helps to rehydrate the pasta and keeps it from being dry.
- This baked penne recipe also freezes well, just in case you have leftovers.
🍕Even More Pasta Recipes!
If you enjoyed this baked penne pasta recipe, try these other tasty dishes.
📖 Recipe
Baked Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 links Italian sausage
- ½ lb. lean ground beef
- ½ large onion (chopped)
- ½ large bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms (or dried gourmet mushrooms)
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup red wine
- 24 oz. canned pasta sauce
- 16 oz. penne pasta
- 4 oz. cream cheese (cubed)
- 3 cups shredded cheese (your favorite blend)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. You can add up to 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the water. This will be used for cooking the pasta.
Prepare Pasta Sauce
- Remove sausage casing and add the sausage to a large stockpot along with the ground beef, onion, green pepper, garlic, and mushrooms. Add salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, basil, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Cook over low to medium heat until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add tomato paste, ¾ cups water (or ¾ cup liquid from soaked mushrooms), red wine, and pasta sauce to the same pot. Mix the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook Pasta
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Stir to discourage the pasta from sticking together. Cook for 12 minutes, then drain.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Assemble & Bake
- To assemble the baked penne pasta, spray the bottom of a deep lasagna pan or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add a cup of pasta sauce, followed by some of the cooked pasta.
- Distribute some cubed cream cheese and shredded cheese over the pasta along with more pasta sauce. Repeat with the remaining pasta mixture, making sure the pasta is completely covered with the sauce. You'll want to end with one cup of shredded mozzarella or other shredded cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake the penne pasta for 30 minutes.
Notes
- I always have a large container of dried gourmet mushrooms on hand. The best part about using these mushrooms is that you can use the mushroom broth (the liquid that the mushrooms are soaked in) to enhance the flavor of the sauce.
- Be sure to spray the foil prior to covering the pasta with it. This will keep the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- When preparing this easy baked penne pasta you can sneak in extra veggies too, for example, zucchini.
- When reheating the Baked Penne Pasta, add a small amount of liquid/broth. This helps to rehydrate the pasta and keeps it from being dry.
- This baked penne recipe also freezes well, just in case you have leftovers.
Joan says
We loved this recipe and I would like to make it for our Christmas Eve family gathering. If I make it ahead of time, and bake it, then freeze it, how do I reheat it without ruining it?
Thanks for your help
Hilda Sterner says
I've never frozen this casserole before. However, I supposed you can remove it from the freezer the night before and refrigerate it until you're ready to reheat it. To reheat it, cover it with foil and bake it at 325 F for 30 minutes or until heated through. Good luck!
Kelly Methey says
Yum! Delicious and oh so easy!!! Love having recipes like this for potlucks and other dinners.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly! 😘
Kathy says
I would like to try this recipe for.about 70 people. How would recommend the break down be?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Kathy,
All you'd have to do is multiply the ingredients x 6 since it feeds 12 people.
Kathy says
Yesterday I was able to change the 12 servings to 70servings
however today I can't???