Easy Baked Penne
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This simple 3-ingredient easy baked penne pasta recipe is classic, comforting, and full of gooey cheese. The perfect weeknight dinner that only takes 15 minutes of hands on cooking!
This week, we wanted to share one of our easiest recipes with you – seriously, it’s only three ingredients! As many of you probably know, juggling the demands of daily life and working a full-time job can be exhausting. So whenever a recipe like this comes around, we like to take full advantage of it. It’s super simple, relatively hands-off, and so delicious. Oh, and it’ll make about 6 servings, which means plenty of leftovers for dinner the next night.
What To Expect
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Why We Love This Recipe
This is still one of my favorite meals from growing up. Easy, simple, and so comforting. Plus it can be adapted in so many different ways by changing up the sauce or the cheese, or adding other ingredients like pepperoni or Italian sausage! I love making this now when we’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner and know we’ll need some extra lunches for the week.
– Alex
Easy Baked Penne Ingredients
You can make this super easy baked penne pasta with just 3 store bought ingredients:
- Penne pasta – We call our version “baked penne” because we’ve never actually made it with ziti. Both of us prefer penne, so it’s our go-to for this recipe. If you like a different kind of noodle, go ahead and switch it out – you just want to choose a short, tubular pasta.
- Pasta sauce – Choosing the right pasta sauce is important for the flavor of baked penne pasta. A simple and cheap tomato sauce can leave the dish feeling a little plain, while a tomato and basil or roasted garlic flavored pasta sauce can really enhance the flavor. If you only have a plain pasta sauce, try adding some oregano, basil, or other Italian herbs for extra flavor. And if you like spice, red pepper flakes are always a great addition to an easy baked penne pasta.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – Shredded mozzarella gives you that classic Italian flavor, but you can also use a pizza blend or throw in some parmesan if you want. Since this recipe uses three basic ingredients, there’s a lot of room to customize it for your tastes.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Easy Baked Penne Pasta
Step 1: Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10 minutes (you want it to be al dente since it’ll cook more in the oven).
Step 2: Stir jarred pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella into the cooked pasta.
Step 3: Transfer to a greased baking dish and top with cheese.
Step 4: Cover the baking dish with foil. This keeps the pasta from drying out and helps make sure the cheese is fully melted. Bake for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Serve hot!
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
Since this baked penne pasta recipe makes a whole box of pasta, you will likely have leftovers. Cover any leftover pasta with aluminum foil in the baking dish (or in an airtight container) and it will be good for up to 5 days in the fridge. We love making this recipe in our OXO 9×13 glass baking dish since it has a lid for easy storage.
You can also portion out single servings to store in the fridge for easy lunches throughout the week.
Reheat single servings in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Alternatively, if you are looking to reheat the remaining leftovers in the baking dish, you can put it back in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes or until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving Suggestions
- Add some pepperoni like in our pizza pasta bake and enjoy with some garlic parmesan eggplant fries.
- Serve with an easy side dish like our burrata toast, roasted tomato and garlic bruschetta, or crispy potatoes with whipped ricotta.
- Make a big batch along with our slow cooker meatballs and Italian gravy to easily feed a crowd!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This baked penne pasta is so cheesy, so warm, and so comforting – definitely one of those dishes that reminds you of your mom’s home cooking. That’s why it’s a great weeknight family dinner or big batch meal prep dish for the week. Next time you’re looking for a quick, easy, and comforting meal, this penne pasta bake is sure to hit the spot. Remember to rate, comment, and share below!
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Tell us what you think!
We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex
Easy Baked Penne
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Equipment
- Baking dish 9×13 or similar
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 24 ounces jarred pasta sauce tomato & basil or roasted garlic
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese divided
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Next, boil the pasta for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain and return the pasta to the empty pot, removing it from the heat.
- Add the pasta sauce to the pot and stir to coat the pasta well. Then add about two-thirds of the mozzarella cheese and stir well to combine.
- Next, lightly grease a large baking dish. Transfer the contents of the pot to the baking dish, spreading the pasta out evenly. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Finally, loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
What about Storing penne in the fridge?
Hi Elena, you’ll definitely want to store leftover baked penne in the fridge. Put it in a covered container and it should last for up to 5 days!
My late mother alway covered her lasagna or penne dishes with Saran Wrap and foil before she put them in the oven. The Saran Wrap kept the pasta moist and the corners never dried out.
Hi Jeanne, you can cover the pan more tightly with foil if you don’t want the pasta to dry out at all. We like that the top layer gets a bit crispy around the edges (that’s why we loosely cover it) but it’s a personal preference. We wouldn’t recommend using saran wrap, however, as it’s not typically oven safe.
I love making this recipe because we had it all the time growing up. Now it is both a nostalgic dinner as well as a way to make a bunch of easy lunches for the week.
Very easy for a weekday dinner when you’re running late. I added some spicy diced sausage for added flavor. Salad and garlic bread added to round it out.
Sounds delicious with the addition of sausage! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for the review 🙂
How long to boil the penne?
Hey Elena! You want to boil the pasta for 10 minutes. By the way, you can also find the boil time along with everything else you may need to know in the recipe card above!
What about a 13 x 9 metal dish?
Hi Elena! Any 9 x 13 baking dish will do. Metal works perfectly well!
What if you do not have a 9×13 glass baking dish?
Hi there! This recipe will work in any baking dish as long as it’s big enough to fit all the pasta. We often make it in our 10.5″x7.5″ ceramic Staub baking dish. You can also use two smaller baking dishes, if you don’t have one big enough to fit all the pasta.
What about using ragu pasta sauce?
That’s a great idea! You can use any of your favorite pasta sauces for this recipe 🙂