Baked Penne Pasta
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Baked Penne Pasta is a delicious and hearty Italian-American pasta dish that features penne pasta mixed with a rich and savory tomato-based sauce, layered with a cheese mixture, and then baked until it’s hot and bubbly.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Baked pastas like our Spinach Lasagna Rolls, Healthy Mac & Cheese, and Easy Cheesy Baked Pasta are commonly reader favorites. Probably because they usually have these qualities:
- Delicious dinner recipe that all ages enjoy
- Freezer friendly
- Feeds a large group of people
- Easy to make
“I made a 9×9 for supper and froze a 9×13 for later. It was a hit with my husband. We also had to negotiate who got to eat the leftovers!” – Mags ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need. Keep in mind this is a HUGE recipe! Perfect when you need a big batch recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef – We get our grass-fed ground beef from ButcherBox.
- Canned tomato sauce – Adds moisture and depth of flavor to the recipe. You can swap it for marinara if you don’t have any.
- Whole Tomatoes – These add some texture and flavor.
Variations & Substitutions
- Substitute ground beef with Italian sausage.
- Use diced tomatoes in place of the whole tomatoes.
- Use marinara in place of tomato sauce.
- Add veggies! I love to toss in raw spinach, sautéed mushrooms, cooked zucchini, or sautéed bell peppers.
- You don’t have to use penne pasta. You can substitute with another similar short pasta shape.
Note: Find our full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and directions at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Baked Penne Pasta
Make the Meat Sauce
After sautéing some diced onion and garlic, you will brown your ground beef.
After the ground beef is browned, drain off some fat and add in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Let it simmer on low for about 25-30 minutes.
Once it’s done simmering, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down. You’ll see why in a bit.
Cook the Pasta
After you get that sauce a-simmerin’, start multitasking.
Start to boil your pasta. Follow the instructions on your box for cooking it al dente.
Once it’s cooked, drain.
Make the Creamy Filling
While pasta is boiling you can whip together your creamy cheese filling.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients for the filling: ricotta, egg, mozzarella, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir.
Mix the Pasta with the Creamy Filling
Add the cooked and drained pasta into the large bowl with the cheese mixture.
After the pasta and cheese mixture is combined, add in that cooled pasta sauce.
Once you’ve mixed that together, you have a delicious, gooey mess.
Assemble the Casserole & Bake
Pour the pasta into a baking dish. Now top it off with remaining pasta sauce.
Now finish it off with a layer of mozzarella. You know what comes next… bake it!
Pro Tip
This recipe makes a HUGE batch. If you have a lasagna dish, use that. If not, you might consider splitting the batch between two 9×13 dishes.
Freeze one for later! (See more Ground Beef Freezer Meals here).
How to Freeze Baked Penne Pasta
You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for make-ahead freezer meals.
Not only have we written two freezer meal cookbooks, but we also have some amazing 1 Hour Freezer Prep Plans that walk you through how to make 6 meals in one hour.
Freeze For Later: Follow the recipe right up until baking it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, foil or a lid. Freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: When ready to cook, you have two options:
- Thawed: Thaw in the fridge (may take up to 48 hours) or thaw in the microwave on defrost setting. Bake at 375 degrees F according to Step 11 in the recipe.
- Frozen: If cooking directly from frozen state, cover with foil. Place the frozen casserole in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once it comes to temperature, bake for about 1 hour and 20-40 minutes, until heated through and bubbly. Remove the foil the last 20 minutes.
Freezer Meal Quick Start Guide
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What to Serve with Baked Penne Pasta
This recipe plays nice with others. Here are some side dish ideas:
FAQs
Yes, this recipe works well to prepare all the way up until baking. You can refrigerate it for a day or two before baking or freeze it.
Yes! You can make this substitution without any problems. Just be sure to keep the amounts the same.
The egg will add some lightness and lift to the cheese mixture, but you should be totally fine without it.
Yes, this recipe will work fine without the ground beef.
Tomato sauce is sold in cans and is thinner and has fewer ingredients than marinara/spaghetti sauce. However, marinara would be a great substitute.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Baked Penne Pasta
Freezer-friendly Baked Penne Pasta is an easy, kid-friendly dinner idea. Great for large groups too.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds ground beef (or one pound ground beef & one pound Italian sausage) Here is where you can find meat you can trust.
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juice
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 1 pound (16 ounces) whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 tub (15 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 pounds (6 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. And garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Begin to boil your pasta. Make sure to undercook it a tad–especially if freezing!
- In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and a dash of salt and pepper.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and mix it together.
- Add the cooled meat sauce that you set aside earlier and toss to combine.
- Dump the pasta mixture into a large greased casserole dish or lasagna dish. (NOTE: I ended up using a 9×13 AND a 9×9 dish to fit all of it!) Spoon the remaining sauce over the top, then top with remaining mozzarella cheese. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Hint: Sprinkle chopped parsley over the pasta before serving!
Freeze For Later: Follow the recipe through Step 10. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, foil or a lid. Freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: When ready to cook, you have two options:
- Thawed: Thaw in the fridge (may take up to 48 hours) or thaw in the microwave on defrost setting. Bake at 375 degrees F according to Step 11 in the recipe.
- Frozen: If cooking directly from frozen state, cover with foil. Place the frozen casserole in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once it comes to temperature, bake for about 1 hour and 20-40 minutes, until heated through and bubbly. Remove the foil the last 20 minutes.
Notes/Tips
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- Substitute one pound ground beef with one pound Italian sausage.
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- Use diced tomatoes in place of the whole tomatoes.
-
- Use marinara in place of tomato sauce.
-
- Add veggies! I love to toss in raw spinach, sautéed mushrooms, cooked zucchini, or sautéed bell peppers.
-
- You don’t have to use penne pasta. You can substitute with another similar short pasta shape.
I was wondering if I were to prep it tonight then can it sit in the fridge until tomorrow and then i can bake it then or do you i HAVE to freeze it?
Hi Tay. You can prep this and then cook it the next day. I would suggest cooking it within about 48 hours of prepping it.
If kept uncooked in fridge overnight do you need to increase cooking time the next day because ingredients are cold?
You shouldn’t have to. Of course, ovens can vary a little so you want it to be bubbly when you take it out. You could also put the casserole on the counter while the oven is preheating for it to warm up slightly.
I made this for my family on our beach vacay & everyone LOVED it!!! They kept saying it was BETTER than lasagna! !
Yay! This is a great one to make ahead and freeze to take on vacation or to throw together when you get there. So glad your people loved it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Donna.
Can you use diced tomatoes instead of whole?
Hi Stacy. Yes, I have successfully used diced tomatoes in this recipe.
I made this last night, then baked it today for 10 hungry missionaries. They loved it!! I as worried there wouldn’t be enough, but even with huge helpings and seconds, there were leftovers. I used a huge glass pan way bigger than a 9×13 and it was full. Thanks for a new favorite recipe!
Iris, what an honor to have one of our recipes served to 10 missionaries. Thank you for leaving a comment to tell us this story! And thank you for serving them in that way!
I made this recipe for my firehouse fire police meeting 200 firefighters and all I can say is OMG it came out fantastic I was getting rave reviews everyone loved it
Yes! Love this Rich. And thank you for your service!
I’m getting to understand how this will feed 20 hungry men. Do you triple the recipe?
My family loved this recipe!
Glad to hear it Nikki!
Hi there-which tomato sauce did you use? Thanks
Hi Mary. Just look for plain, canned tomato sauce like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Organic-Tomato-Sauce-15-Oz/132719941
This looks delicious! We have an egg allergy in our family, do you think that could be omitted? Or do you have a suggested substitute? Would love to try this!
The egg will add some lightness and lift to the cheese mixture, but you should be totally fine without it. Let us know if you try it without and how it goes.
Can you let me know if it is supposed to use tomato sauce (can without seasoning) or just a regular marinara sauce? I’m a bit confused on that part.
Hi Staci. Yes, it is canned tomato sauce without seasoning. You are adding your own seasonings and essentially making your own sauce, so you just want tomato sauce.
I might have missed it. How many people does this recipe serve?
Hi Ali! Our recipe card says it serves 10-12. The nutrition facts are based on 12 servings. Polly also noted in the recipe that she had more than she could fit in her 9×12 dish, so that could mean a few extra servings as well.
It was EXCELLENT! Thanks for a new family favorite!
Yay! Glad to hear it Kim!
This looks delicious! I plan on making two pans for Christmas Eve; one with meat, and one without. Anything to note or add to the meatless version? Thanks!
Hi Laurie. You do not need to do anything different in the one without meat unless you want to add some veggies, but that’s not necessary either. I hope everyone appreciates your hard work for Christmas Eve!
We love this recipe. Very easy to make and so good!!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Mary. We really appreciate it!
Can this be made ahead of time without freezing
Yes! You can prepare it up until baking and leave in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking and serving.
Can you make this in a crock pot?
We have not tested that Taylor. If you do give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
This recipe was a hit with 38 very hungry young men. We quadrupled the recipe, and there was enough for seconds and to-go boxes afterwards. I added mushrooms and used low-fat ricotta to make it a bit healthier. Thanks for this recipe. Bake time for a large double tray is affected–after refrigeration overnight, I baked the dish for 1 hr. 20 mins, and would possibly have gone 1.5 hours. Further, I appreciated the notes re. variations and the video. Thanks again for a delicious recipe.
Wow Nancy! That’s a small army! 🙂 So glad it was well-liked and there was plenty to send home with the hungry guys. Thanks for the tips and for taking the time to leave a review.