Baked Penne Pasta Recipe
Today I’ve got a delicious pasta dish to share with you guys… Baked Penne Rigate Recipe. This recipe is easy to make and you can easily add to it various proteins of your choice… such as chicken or ground beef. If you love pasta loaded with cheese then this one is for you! This is the perfect cheesy pasta dish for a busy weeknight dinner.
Baked Penne Ingredients:
Here are the supplies you’ll need to make this baked penne and cheese pasta dish!
- ricotta cheese
- parmesan cheese
- penne rigate
- pasta sauce
- mozzarella
- eggs
- salt and pepper
Making Baked Penne
You boil the penne pasta in a large pot over medium-high heat, while you prep the cheese mixture.
With all those cheese varieties you know this has to be delicious. You’ll combine the mozzarella, Parmesan, and Ricotta cheese together in a large bowl along with the egg and salt, and pepper. This part of the recipe could be prepped in advance and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the dish.
Once the pasta is al dente you will drain the pasta in the base of an oven-safe baking dish. This penne pasta bake is basically a pasta casserole. I used a large skillet, but any baking pan will work. Just make sure it’s oven safe.
Then it’s time to layer the marinara sauce and cheese mixture. You can use whatever favorite tomato sauce you love or if you have a homemade marinara sauce you make, that would be amazing with this dish.
I love that this recipe can be made in less than 30 minutes. Of course, loads of grated cheese make it even better! Finish with some torn fresh basil if you’d like. This pasta dish is the ultimate comfort food.
Baked Penne Rigate Recipe
Equipment
- oven safe skillet
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Penne Rigate Pasta
- 2 cups Ricotta Cheese
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Eggs
- 1 jar of Marinara Sauce 20-28 ounce size will do
Topping
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Add your penne rigate to the boiling water. Cook as directed on the packaging for al dente.
- In a bowl combine the cheeses, eggs and salt and pepper.
- When pasta is cooked place drained pasta in the base of a pan (heat safe). Pour 1/2 of the marinara sauce on top of pasta. Stir to combine.
- Scoop your cheese mixture on top of your pasta. Spread evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Pull out from the oven and drizzle the remaining marinara sauce on top and then sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Place back in the oven and bake another 5-10 minutes.
Notes
Pair this Baked Penne Rigate Recipe with a green salad and some French bread and you’ve got a complete meal the whole family will love.
Great Additions and Substitutions to Penne Pasta Recipes:
- Protein: Chicken, Ground Beef, or Italian Sausage would be amazing.
- Veggies: addional Garlic, Onion, or even Zucchini would be great.
- Other Pasta Noodles: Ziti or Rigatoni would be delicious! I love a noodle with a hole in the center for this dish.
Other pasta recipes you might love too!
Creamy Garlic, Bacon and Tomato Penne with Mozzarella
What size pasta sauce?
I used a 24 ounce jar, but 20 – 28 ounce will work.
What size jar of sauce?
The sight of this dish is absolutely delightful; its vibrant green hue and bright appearance make it a perfect choice for a midwinter meal. Roasting the cauliflower brings out its delicious flavor and enhances the dish even more than the steamed version. Combining cauliflower with pasta is a personal favorite of mine, and I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
This was delicious but needs more seasoning, 1 lb of pasta, and a measurement on the amount of sauce. Otherwise, it’s a great dish and a make again for sure!
If you’re looking for a delicious pasta dish that’s easy this is it. I skip the last step and assemble it all at once and bake,j j and it’s perfect. I’ve made this several times for friends who’ve been sick and everyone loves it👍👍💖
What size jar of marinara sauce?
How many people will this feed?? Thanks 🙂
Taste was very good, it needed more noodles. It was so cheesy. I would of used 1 Ib of noodles instead of 1/2 ib. Or maybe even 1 1/2 ibs.
SO GOOD! I added a pound of Italian sausage to the 2nd half of the marinara for the top. We all loved it!!
YAY!!!
If I used chicken or ground beef would I precook it or just put the in the 9×13 with everything else???
I would cook meat separate….going to make tonight
brown meat and drain grease before adding.
you can add spices and seasonings while browning as well.
What size baking dish?
Do you cover with foil at any point?
Ty
I used a 10″ cast iron skillet, but you could easily use a 9×13 pan. No foil needed.
What size oven safe pan did you use? Simply excited to try this tonight!
I just want to say that this recipe is amazingly delicious and so simple to make!
Did not need to alter. I like to keep extra sauce for leftovers!
Thank you for the great recipe!
Glad to hear you loved it!
Hey Maryann. This recipe is so good that my family and I finished the entire plate in a few minutes!
Do you need to cover with aluminum foil?
Can I freeze this before it goes into the oven?
I’ve never tried. I’d bet you could though. If you try it please let me know.
I froze the leftovers for another meal, thawed in fridge then cooked in oven and it was delicious
Pinned this for later. Looks so yummy, can’t wait to make it!! Thanks for sharing it with us.
This looks delicious! Can you recommend a substitute for ricotta? I’m not a fan, nor am I a fan of cottage cheese…
Do you think this would work well with italian sausage added to the tomato mixture? Kind of like a simpler version of lasagna?
I bet it would be delicious! Let me know! My husband and son would love it that way.
how many eggs?
It’s listed in the ingredients… 2 eggs
Yummy!! This looks so filling and one our whole family will fight over for the last serving!
Mmm! Looks perfect for an easy weeknight meal! Thanks girl!
This looks so delicious! You can’t beat pasta and lots of cheese.
This looks crazy good! Going to pin it now !
This looks delicious – I think I need to have pasta tomorrow night!
That does look easy and delicious, a hard combination to beat. I might add some shrimp too.
Wow this looks so delicious!!! Pinning!
Thanks Ashley!
Someone should remind me not to read food posts when I’m hungry. Yum! #client
Exactly… it’s like grocery shopping when you’re hungry… not a good idea! 😉
This recipe looks both easy and delicious, Maryann…my favorite kind!
It is Julie… hop you enjoy it!