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Insanely good Baked Penne Pasta requires only one dish, no boiling water. Everything is baked together for the most divine, flavorful pasta casserole you’ve ever had. The bubbly mozzarella and parmesan cheese makes it creamy and perfectly gooey. Pair with garlic bread and enjoy this cozy meal with the family.
Why Make Baked Penne Pasta
For starters, this Baked Penne Pasta With Mozzarella is so easy to make. You basically dump everything in a baking dish, set it and forget it for 45 minutes to an hour. This is a great dish for the family or for entertaining.
No boiling water for pasta and you can use any noodle and veggie of choice to bake into this casserole. Pair it with my Garlic Rolls for the ultimate dinner. Looking for something with more spice? My Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta will cure all the spicy cravings.
Ingredients Needed
- Pasta. Any noodle of choice will work, but this is called Penne Baked Pasta so I use Penne.
- Pasta Sauce. Any red sauce of choice will work great. 1 jar (24 oz)
- Mozzarella & Parmesan. High quality fresh mozzarella works best and melts great.
- Seasoning. Garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes.
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Steps To Make Baked Penne Pasta
Ready to bake? Let me walk you through the recipe. For your convenience, there is a full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the printable recipe card below.
- Step One. Preheat oven to 375º. In an 8 x 11 or 9×9 baking dish, add dry pasta, red sauce, water (I fill the empty sauce jar with the water and shake it to get more sauce out). Add in seasoning, mushrooms, spinach. Carefully, gently mix together in the dish. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil.
- Step Two. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Pull it out after baking for 30 minutes. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water if the pasta has soaked up most of the liquid. You can also add some more pasta sauce if desired. Please note* different shapes of pasta will soak more or less water. Add the fresh mozzarella over the top of the pasta casserole and bake for another 30 minutes, then take tin foil off and cook for another 10 minutes or until cheese is browned, bubbling and the pasta is al dente.
- Step Three. Let the pasta sit for about 5 minutes before serving. I like to enjoy mine with garlic bread.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.
Recipe Tips
- You may want to add some extra water or sauce throughout the bake. All pasta brands can vary just a bit on absorption. add 1/4 cup if needed.
- Feel free to add some cooked ground beef or sausage to this bake. You can also add pepperoni.
- Other good veggies to add, zucchini, or bell peppers.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, use any cheese you prefer, but I enjoy the fresh mozzarella best as it melts into the noodles throughout the dish giving it a cheesy texture.
Other Pasta Recipes To Make
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Baked Penne Pasta With Mozzarella
Equipment
- Baking Dish 9×9 or similar in size
Ingredients
- 1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce, any kind will work. You may want extra for severing
- 1 lb dry penne pasta, Or other short pasta
- 2 cups water, *more as needed
- ½ tbsp dried, crushed, oregano
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms, optional
- 2 cups spinach
- 1½ cup fresh mozzarella
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º. In an 8 x 11 or 9×9 baking dish, add dry pasta, red sauce, water (I fill the empty sauce jar with the water and shake it to get more sauce out). Add in seasoning, mushrooms, spinach. Carefully, gently mix together in the dish. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. After baking for 30 minutes, pull it out. If you need to add a little extra water or sauce, feel free to at this time. Add the fresh mozzarella over the top of the pasta casserole, cover again and bake for another 30 minutes.
- Take tin foil off and cook for another 10 minutes or until cheese is browned, bubbling and the pasta is al dente. Total time baking is about an hour and ten minutes (give or take some time depending on oven temps and pasta size).
- Let the pasta sit for about 5 minutes before serving. I like to enjoy mine with garlic bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- You may want to add some extra water or sauce throughout the bake. All pasta brands can vary just a bit on absorption. add 1/4 cup if needed.
- Feel free to add some cooked ground beef or sausage to this bake. You can also add pepperoni.
- Other good veggies to add, zucchini, or bell peppers.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I think you need a deep baking vessel as you have a lb of pasta. 24. Oz sauce, 2 cups water and 2 cups of spinach and mushrooms. My 9×11 dish could not hold it all. Needed to switch to Dutch oven after initial 30 minutes as cheese did not fit. Otherwise great taste
Fabulous recipe. Not much in the fridge. So this helps..
If I wanted to add meat, what would you recommend?