No Boil Penne Pasta Bake – SUPER easy weeknight meal. Simply mix together a few simple ingredients, pour it into a baking dish, and bake. No need to precook the pasta. It bakes along with everything else! Penne pasta, ricotta cheese, Italian sausage, spaghetti sauce, water, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Serve the pasta with a salad and some garlic bread for a restaurant-quality meal!
Originally posted 10/6/2010
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Pin This RecipeEasy One-Pan Pasta Casserole
This No Boil Penne Pasta Bake is a game-changer, combining the convenience of no-boil penne pasta with layers of rich marinara sauce, creamy ricotta cheese, Italian sausage, and a generous blanket of gooey mozzarella. The best part? No need to precook the pasta noodles, making it an absolute time-saver without sacrificing taste. Whether you’re a busy home cook or simply looking for a hearty and satisfying meal, this dish is an absolute must-try.
How to Make No-Boil Penne Pasta Bake
This pasta recipe is SUPER easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a large skillet brown Italian sausage over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease. In a large bowl, combine the cooked sausage, ricotta cheese, spaghetti sauce, water, garlic powder, uncooked penne pasta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Spread the mixture into a baking dish and top with extra mozzarella. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake. Remove the foil and bake for a few more minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil or fresh parsley.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- Do NOT cook the pasta. Add the pasta uncooked to the casserole mixture. It will cook along with the rest of the ingredients.
- You can use sausage, ground beef, ground turkey, or no meat at all in this recipe.
- I used Italian sausage, but this is also great with a roll of breakfast sausage such as Jimmy Dean.
- This is a very basic recipe. Feel free to add some vegetables to the pasta mixture.
- spinach
- mushrooms
- onions
- bell pepper
- diced tomatoes
- Substitute chicken broth for water for extra flavor.
- My favorite store-bought marinara sauce is Rao’s. I also like La Famiglia DelGrosso, and Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara (green label).
- Can No-Boil Baked Penne be made in advance? Sure. You can assemble the casserole and refrigerate overnight.
- Can No-Boil Baked Penne be frozen? Yes! I suggest freezing this after baking and reheating when ready to serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave.
What to Serve with No-Boil Pasta Bake
Let’s talk about what to serve with this pasta to make it a meal to remember. Consider starting with a crisp mixed greens salad tossed in a creamy Italian dressing – a refreshing contrast to the hearty flavors of the pasta bake. For a touch of indulgence, serve up a side of garlic bread or warm, buttery garlic knots – they’re perfect for mopping up that rich marinara sauce. And speaking of sauce, don’t forget our favorite Italian Green Bean Salad for a bit of green goodness. With these fantastic options, you’ll create a well-rounded and delightful dining experience that’ll have everyone savoring every last bite of that delectable No Boil Penne Pasta Bake.
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No Boil Penne Pasta Bake
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 1 (26-oz) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1½ cups water
- 1 (15-oz) container ricotta
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 8- oz uncooked penne
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly grease 9x13x2-inch casserole dish; set aside.
- In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat.
- Combine sauce, water, ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, cooked sausage, parmesan, and uncooked penne pasta.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
- Bake for 55 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes:
- Do NOT cook the pasta. Add the pasta uncooked to the casserole mixture. It will cook along with the rest of the ingredients.
- You can use sausage, ground beef, ground turkey, cooked chicken, or no meat at all in this recipe.
- I used Italian sausage, but this is also great with a roll of breakfast sausage such as Jimmy Dean.
- This is a very basic recipe. Feel free to add some vegetables to the pasta mixture. Spinach, cooked mushrooms, onions, bell pepper would all be good.
- My favorite store-bought spaghetti sauces are Rao’s, La Famiglia DelGrosso, and Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara (green label).
- Can No-Boil Baked Penne be made in advance? Sure. You can assemble the casserole and refrigerate overnight.
- Can No-Boil Baked Penne be frozen? Yes! I suggest freezing this after baking and reheating when ready to serve.
Steph
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Michelle – If you are making it in two pans I would leave the cooking time the same. If you are going to put it in one huge pan, I would do it 1.5 times as long
I want to double this recipe — what do you recommend on the cook time? Same, 1.5 more?? Thanks!
I used your recipe as a "template", and made it with what I had on hand…it turned out fabulous, and the whole family loved it! Thank you!
I made this tonight and it's wonderful. Very forgiving, too. I didn't have any mozzerella, so I used Mexican mix shredded cheeses. I also didn't see that it had sausage in it, but I didn't have any. I ended up breaking up some breakfast sausage patties into the mix and then put four hotdogs on top of the casserole. Then, I didn't have any penne, so I used rotini. No matter – it is DELICIOUS!!! Thank you!!!
This came out soo cheesy and delicious! we ate it up for dinner and then again for breakfast 🙂
I made this last night and it was delicious! Thanks so much for the great and sooo easy recipe!!
Stephanie, I just wanted to tell you how nice it was to meet you in person today, and NOW I have to say that I will definitely be trying this recipe out on my family! This looks delicious and EASY, which is a total prerequisite in my house. I think I've tried three of the recipes you've posted over the last six months or so, and they've all been wonderful. Thank you so much, and again, it was lovely to meet you at the Harbert Plaza!
Perfect meal for busy night with kids and hubby going in all different directions! Made it tonight — kids and I liked it! Dennis at game so he will probably opt for DQ dip cone for his supper. 🙂 Katherine still waiting on Sherbert!
When you said "no boil", I was imagining, "Gee Steph….why is this so crunchy?"
But it looks and sounds great. I guess the sauce and ricotta give it enough liquid over the baking time. And it is so easy too. Thanks for sharing this one.
Oh, yeah my kinda pasta dish. You know what will put me off pasta more than anything? Having to wash that huge pot.
~ingrid
This is what we're having for dinner tonight — I'll let you know how it turns out. But I can say that if I can make it, anybody can make it.
Wow, looks good to me!
Sounds great but I am not a huge fan of Ricotta. Any substitution ideas??
You can just omit the ricotta, I make baked ziti with just mozzarella all the time.
Lots of people use cottage cheese! I've never tried it, but some people swear by it!
Anything that reduces the amount of cooking time I'm all for!
Mmm, this looks tasty. Quick with barely any effort, that's what I like to see! I'll be trying this one out soon.
Looks simple and good. My daughter makes a no-boil lasagna that turns out real well