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    You Are Here Home » Italian Recipes

    Published: Feb 24, 2020 Updated: Jul 20, 2023 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 5 Comments

    Baked Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce

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    penne pasta pin

    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!

    baked penne pasta with cheese, crushed pepper and other fixings on the side

    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 every now and then 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!

    Jump to:
    • 🧐 Why This Recipe Works
    • 🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
    • 🔖 Ingredient & Substitutions
    • 🍝 How to Make Baked Penne Pasta
    • 🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
    • 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
    • 🍕Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🧐 Why This Recipe Works

    • 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!
    baked penne pasta in a pan with fixings on the side

    🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe

    baked penne pasta ingredients, labeled

    🔖 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 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.

    meat and veggies in a pot
    meat, mushrooms, peppers in a pot
    cooked meat and diced vegetables in pot for baked penne pasta

    Step 3: 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.

    meat and sauce cooking in a pot
    sauce for pasta cooking in a large pot
    stirring pasta meat sauce in a pan

    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.

    pot of boiling water
    pasta in a pot of water
    cooked pasta in  a yellow and green stainer

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

    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. 

    an empty pan with cubed cream cheese on the side
    lasagna pan with meaty pasta sauce in it

    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.

    pasta with cheese and cubed cream cheese in a pan
    pasta and sauce in a pan
    pasta with sauce topped with shredded cheese in a lasagna  pan

    Step 7: Cover the baking dish with foil that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake the penne pasta for 30 minutes.

    baked penne pasta in a foil pan

    Serve the Baked Penne Pasta with some garlic bread, and a Green Salad.

    🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

    How long do I cook penne pasta?

    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.

    What kind of wine should I use in pasta sauce?

    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.

    👩🏼‍🍳 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.
    baked penne pasta

    🍕Related Recipes

    You may also be interested in trying this delicious pink pasta  and this hearty buffalo chicken pasta bake recipe!

    • marry me chicken
      Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe
    • Extra Easy Lasagna Recipe
    • cheesy stuffed shells
      Easy Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Meat
    • stuffed peppers in a cast iron skillet
      Italian Stuffed Peppers

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    baked penne pasta

    Baked Penne Pasta

    Easy pasta dish which is perfect for a large family or pot luck.
    4.90 from 56 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 12 people
    Calories: 352kcal
    Author: Hilda Sterner

    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.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 646mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g
    Tried this Recipe? Please leave A Star Rating!Mention @HildasKitchenBlog or tag #HildasKitchenBlog!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelly Methey says

      May 27, 2022 at 1:57 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! Delicious and oh so easy!!! Love having recipes like this for potlucks and other dinners.

      Reply
      • Hilda Sterner says

        May 28, 2022 at 7:36 pm

        Thanks, Kelly! 😘

        Reply
    2. Kathy says

      April 24, 2022 at 7:35 pm

      I would like to try this recipe for.about 70 people. How would recommend the break down be?

      Reply
      • Hilda Sterner says

        April 24, 2022 at 8:23 pm

        Hi Kathy,
        All you'd have to do is multiply the ingredients x 6 since it feeds 12 people.

        Reply
        • Kathy says

          May 02, 2022 at 7:48 pm

          Yesterday I was able to change the 12 servings to 70servings
          however today I can't???

          Reply

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