No-Boil Baked Penne

No-Boil Baked Penne is a kind of magical recipes that makes you surprise why you ever bothered boiling pasta individually. All the things bakes collectively in a single dish, absorbing all of the wealthy flavors of the sauce whereas the oven does the work. No additional pots, no draining—simply a straightforward, tacky, comforting meal that virtually makes itself.

No-Boil Baked Penne in a white casserole dish.

This recipe is a busy prepare dinner’s dream. You combine every little thing proper within the baking dish—sure, even the raw pasta! After a hands-off bake within the oven, you’ll stir in creamy ricotta and prime it with loads of gooey mozzarella and Parmesan. The consequence? A hearty, restaurant-worthy pasta bake with minimal effort.

Whether or not you’re feeding a hungry household or simply craving some cozy consolation meals, this No-Boil Baked Penne is about to grow to be your new go-to dinner. In case you like Baked Ziti, you’ll get pleasure from this penne pasta bake. The one distinction is that it makes use of penne as an alternative of ziti!

My favourite half is that I don’t should prepare dinner the pasta! It goes in raw and comes out tender and ideal. Throughout my recipe testing, I discovered that the penne wanted 45 minutes to prepare dinner. I checked it at Half-hour, and it was nonetheless fairly arduous. That mentioned, everybody has a distinct oven, so if you’re involved, you may examine the pasta’s firmness periodically.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No Boiling Required: Skip the additional step! The pasta cooks proper within the sauce, absorbing all of the scrumptious flavors.
One Pan Marvel: Fewer dishes to clean means extra time to get pleasure from your meal. All the things bakes in a single dish, making cleanup a breeze.
Tremendous Creamy & Tacky: With ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, this dish is full of melty, tacky goodness.
Excellent for Busy Nights: Simply combine, cowl, and bake! It’s a straightforward, hands-off dinner with minimal prep time for these hectic evenings.
Customizable: Add cooked sausage, floor beef, or additional veggies to make it your personal.
Nice for Leftovers: It reheats fantastically, so you may get pleasure from it the following day (if there’s any left!).

Components

The complete printable recipe card with measurements and directions is discovered on the backside of the put up.

Further Virgin Olive Oil: Greases the baking dish to forestall sticking and provides a delicate richness to the pasta. You can additionally use butter.
Penne Pasta: No have to prepare dinner it first! The pasta absorbs the sauce because it bakes, creating a wonderfully tender texture.
Pasta Sauce: Use your favourite jarred sauce or marinara sauce for a personalized effect. A thicker sauce will give a richer consistency. If in case you have selfmade spaghetti sauce, use it!
Water: Helps the pasta prepare dinner evenly whereas scaling down the sauce simply sufficient to create a silky texture.
Heavy Cream: Provides a luscious creaminess that balances the acidity of the tomato sauce and makes the dish additional indulgent.
Italian Seasoning: A mix of dried herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme enhances the general taste effortlessly.
Garlic Powder: Offers the dish a mellow, garlicky depth with out the necessity for mincing recent garlic.
Dried Minced Onion: Provides a contact of onion taste and softens because it bakes—excellent for many who don’t love chopping onions. You can additionally use onion powder.
Salt: Brings out the flavors of all of the components, particularly the pasta and sauce.
Black Pepper: A bit goes a good distance in including heat and a gentle kick.
Mozzarella Cheese: Melts right into a gooey, stretchy layer that makes each chew satisfying.
Parmesan Cheese: Brings a salty, nutty sharpness that enhances the creamy ricotta and mozzarella.
Ricotta Cheese: Stirred in on the finish for a creamy, barely tangy distinction to the wealthy tomato sauce.
Contemporary Basil (Non-compulsory): Provides a pop of colour and a recent, barely candy end to the dish—greatest added proper earlier than serving.

Easy methods to Make No-Boil Baked Penne Pasta

Step One: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with additional virgin olive oil.
Step Two: Add the raw penne, pasta sauce, water, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, dried minced onion, salt, and pepper to a big bowl. Stir collectively to mix.
Step Three: Add the combination to the 9×13-inch baking dish. Tightly cowl the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. If the pasta is simply too agency, add one other 5 to 10 minutes.

Collage of mixing ingredients in a bowl and adding to a casserole dish.

Step 4: Take away the aluminum foil and stir within the ricotta cheese. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese evenly on prime.
Step 5: Bake, uncovered, for 10 to fifteen minutes till the cheese is melted.
Step Six: Let sit for five minutes earlier than serving. Garnish with recent basil and serve sizzling.

Collage of adding the cheese and baking the recipe.

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What to Serve With It

Garlic Bread: A crispy, buttery slice of garlic bread is ideal for absorbing all that scrumptious sauce. Strive making it with a sprinkle of Parmesan for additional taste.
Facet Salad: A recent inexperienced salad with a lightweight French dressing helps stability the richness of the pasta. Caesar salad or a easy arugula salad with lemon dressing works nice.
Sautéed Greens: Spinach, kale, or Swiss chard sautéed with garlic and olive oil make a easy but flavorful aspect.
Meatballs: If you wish to add protein, traditional Italian meatballs and even turkey meatballs pair fantastically with this dish.
Antipasto Platter: A small platter of olives, marinated artichokes, and cured meats makes an awesome appetizer earlier than serving the baked penne.

The recipe in a pan with a serving spoon.

Variations and Substitutions

Use a Totally different Pasta: No penne? Strive rigatoni, ziti, or rotini—simply follow similar-sized pasta shapes for even cooking. Baked ziti could be yummy, too! Ziti noodles are inconceivable to seek out in Canada, although…
Swap the Ricotta: Not a fan of ricotta? Use cottage cheese for the same creamy texture or mascarpone for a richer twist. You can additionally use chunks of cream cheese sprinkled all through as an alternative.
Make It Spicy: Add purple pepper flakes or stir in a little bit of spicy arrabbiata sauce for a bit of warmth.
Strive a Totally different Cheese: Swap mozzarella for provolone or fontina for a gooier, barely sharper taste.
Add Protein: Stir in cooked Italian sausage, lean floor beef, or shredded rotisserie hen for a heartier dish.
Go Veggie-Packed: Toss in some spinach, mushrooms, or roasted purple peppers for additional taste and vitamins.
Make It Lighter: Use half-and-half as an alternative of heavy cream and part-skim cheeses to chop down on fats with out sacrificing creaminess.
Gluten-Free Choice: Swap common pasta on your favourite gluten-free penne and examine that your sauce is gluten-free, too.
Dairy-Free Different: Use plant-based heavy cream, dairy-free ricotta, and vegan mozzarella for a creamy, tacky dish with out the dairy.

A hand lifting a serving spoon with the recipe on it from a casserole dish.

Storage Directions

Refrigerate Leftovers: Let the baked penne cool utterly earlier than transferring it to an hermetic container. It should keep recent within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Reheating: Heat particular person parts within the microwave with a splash of water or additional sauce to maintain the pasta from drying out. To reheat a bigger portion, cowl the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes till heated by.
Freezing: This dish freezes effectively! Retailer cooled pasta in a freezer-safe container or wrap your entire casserole dish tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for as much as 3 months.
Thawing and Reheating from Frozen: For greatest outcomes, thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating within the oven at 350°F for 25-Half-hour, coated with foil. If reheating straight from frozen, bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes, protecting with foil for more often than not and uncovering for the final 10 minutes.

Recipe Ideas and Tips

Use a Deep Baking Dish: The pasta wants room to broaden because it absorbs the liquid. A 9×13-inch dish works greatest to forestall overflow.
Stir the Components Effectively: Mixing every little thing totally earlier than baking ensures even cooking and taste in each chew.
Cowl Tightly with Foil: This traps the steam inside, serving to the pasta prepare dinner evenly with out drying out. Be certain the foil is sealed effectively across the edges.
Examine for Doneness: Pasta manufacturers differ, so if the penne continues to be a bit of agency after 45 minutes, add 5-10 extra minutes earlier than stirring within the ricotta.
Give It Some Resting Time: Letting the dish sit for five minutes after baking helps the sauce thicken and makes it simpler to serve.
For Further Crispy Cheese: In case you love a golden-brown cheese topping, broil the pasta for 2-3 minutes on the finish of baking—simply keep watch over it!
Customise the Taste: Style your sauce earlier than baking and regulate the seasoning if wanted. A bit additional garlic powder, purple pepper flakes, or perhaps a splash of balsamic vinegar can improve the flavors.
Make It Forward: Assemble every little thing within the dish, cowl tightly, and refrigerate for as much as 24 hours earlier than baking. Add an additional 5-10 minutes to the baking time if ranging from chilly.

Pasta Bakes

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Created by Stacie Vaughan

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook dinner Time 1 hour

Whole Time 1 hour 5 minutes

This straightforward No-Boil Baked Penne is a tacky, one-pan pasta dinner with no additional pots required! Simply combine, bake, and luxuriate in a creamy, comforting meal.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with additional virgin olive oil.
Add the raw penne, pasta sauce, water, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, dried minced onion, salt, and pepper to a big bowl. Stir collectively to mix.
Add the combination to the 9×13-inch baking dish. Tightly cowl the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. If the pasta continues to be too agency, add one other 5 to 10 minutes.
Take away the aluminum foil and stir within the ricotta cheese. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese evenly on prime.
Bake, uncovered, for 10 to fifteen minutes, till the cheese is melted.
Let sit for five minutes earlier than serving. Garnish with recent basil and serve sizzling.

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The knowledge proven is an estimate offered by a web based vitamin calculator. It shouldn’t be thought-about an alternative choice to an expert nutritionist’s recommendation.

Course Casseroles

Delicacies American

Key phrase penne

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No-Boil Baked Penne – Merely Stacie

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Components