Pure comfort food, this Penne Pasta Bake has a meaty, creamy sauce and lots and lots of cheese. It is perfect for a busy night, and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
As a food blogger, it’s sometimes embarrassing to admit that my kids aren’t the most adventurous eaters. And by that, I mean they are picky.
Well, I shouldn’t include them all – Camden will pretty much eat anything I put in front of him. That kid can eat. In fact – this meal? I think he ate 3 servings. More than I did. More than his dad did. Definitely more than his brother and sister. But I’d say it’s pretty impressive when a child can out eat his mom and dad.
We still struggle most nights with his big brother. I promised myself before I became a mom that I wouldn’t become a short order cook. But there are a few things that he will eat almost every time. Homemade pizza. Meatballs. Sometimes tacos. And pasta.
It’s a good thing that I like pasta too, because it becomes my go-to quite often these days.
But really – what’s not to love (for the whole family) in this dish? A meaty, creamy red sauce, pasta, and lots and lots of cheese. This is comfort food that I will totally get behind any day of the week.
Tips for making a pasta bake
- You could technically use any pasta you want here, but I find that a short cut pasta works perfectly. I love penne because it becomes coated by the sauce so well. Plus, my kids like the best, so that is always a deciding factor!
- You can use shredded Provolone if you can find it, but I actually really like the slices of cheese in this recipe.
- This Penne Pasta Bake makes great leftovers!
- You can make this pasta bake ahead of time. Make it up until right before you bake it. Cover and refrigerate, then let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking it. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time. You will know when it’s ready when the cheese is melted and bubbling.
See how to make this Penne Pasta Bake here
More comforting pasta recipes
One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff
Creamy Tomato Tortellini with Chicken and Bacon
One Pan Pasta with Bacon and Peas
Sloppy Joe Mac n Cheese
Cheesy Baked Cajun Pasta
Tools Used to Make this Penne Pasta Bake
You need a large skillet, and this is a great nonstick option. I also always love using a good cast iron skillet as well.
A good pasta pot is a great investment for your kitchen if you love making pasta.
You’ll also need a 2 quart baking dish for baking the pasta.
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Penne Pasta Bake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Pure comfort food, this Penne Pasta Bake has a meaty, creamy sauce and lots and lots of cheese. It is perfect for a busy night, and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1 (24-oz) jar marinara sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- 6 oz sliced Provolone
- 4 oz shredded or sliced Mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the spaghetti sauce and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the sour cream. Add the drained pasta and stir to coat.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour half of the pasta into the baking dish. Top with half of the Provolone and half of the Mozzarella. Pour the remaining pasta on top and top with the remaining Provolone and Mozzarella, and sprinkle the Parmesan on top.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.
Nutrition
- Calories: 492
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 940 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
Keywords: baked pasta, pasta bake
Nick Vannett says
I also have picky eaters and this has now become our go to as well! Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Priscilla Liu says
Just made this for the family and they love it!
Did it without Provolone, but was cheesy enough with just mozzarella & parmesan. Also substituted sour cream with cooking cream.
★★★★★
Decca Smith says
my family and I loved this recipe. My dad is Italian he was brought up on Baked Ziti. He really liked this. Thank you
★★★★★
Shandell says
I made this last night for 5 adults and everyone LOVED it! Plus there was plenty for leftovers!!!!!
★★★★★
Samantha says
I added a layer of broccoli… & Mushrooms, after cooking beef, w/onion, after draining
I used Mexican Cheese to Provolone.
Penne was vegetable.
This recipe is delicious 😋😋😋😋😋
I’m always trying to get fresh idea’s… THIS rates my family Cook Book!!! Yummy
Miss B says
Too much cheese, not enough sauce, needs 1-2 cloves of garlic cooked with the onion and season the beef with salt and pepper. With those modifications and adding a little Italian seasoning to the beef, then it was 5 stars! BTW – I had to add at least 12 more ounces of sauce to the onion, garlic and beef mixture, otherwise the pasta bake is way too dry with the amount of sauce called for.
Briana Bujanowski says
I ran across this recipe and I decided to make this for dinner last night for me and my family. It turned out AMAZING and everyone loved it! I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
AT says
Honestly this was pretty bland. I am a die hard pasta fan and I didn’t find this to be savoury in any way. Maybe adding bell peppers and zucchini would make it taste more flavourful. Otherwise its just has a saturated meat taste. Its a shame cause visually it looked delicious but ended up being meh. Won’t be making again.
★★★
Lanie Abejero says
I loved it! Thank you
★★★★★
Chris says
We used the general recipe, I had my daughter cook mild Italian sausage instead of beef. She added onion, and mushrooms. Once the sauce was in, we added a can of sliced black olives, 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, and 8 oz of ricotta cheese instead of Sour cream. We finished putting it together like it says and it turned out delicious!
Gordon Ramsay says
I really loved this recipe it is so easy and delicious !
I totally recommend this recipe to anyone
{FYI I am not Gordon Ramsay
but I can tell you this is one of my favorite recipes
have a good day!
enjoy!
Clara says
I made this dish my family loved it and very easy to assemble will definitely make it again
★★★★★