This easy penne pasta bake is a freezer-friendly comfort food you can make ahead and enjoy later. Surprise the people you love with a cheesy penne pasta bake that will taste just as good in a couple of months as it does tonight. With plenty of hearty beef, gooey cheese and bubbly pasta sauce, it's one of those satisfying, borderline-magical 13x9-inch meals that never seems to end!
More About This Recipe
- Sure, we love a good pasta dinner with noodles smothered in sauce, who doesn’t? But when the noodles and sauce are baked (preferably with lots of cheese on top!), your pasta dish turns into a comfort food-worthy casserole. The best part of this baked penne pasta is that it’s freezer-friendly so you can make it and then store it in the freezer to have on hand to gift to a neighbor or friend, or when you’re in a dinnertime pinch. You could also divide the recipe into two 8x8 or 9x9 square dishes, and make one for dinner and freeze the other for later. We like our penne pasta with lots of sauce and even more cheese. How about you? Do you prefer traditional Italian pasta using penne noodles and tomato sauce or do you like to take it up a notch and turn it into a spin on comfort food?
Easy Double Cheese Baked Penne
- Prep Time 30 min
- Total 1 hr 5 min
- Ingredients 9
- Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 1/2 cups (8 oz) penne pasta, cooked and drained
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 jar (24 oz) chunky vegetable pasta sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend (8 oz)
Instructions
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Step1Heat oven to 350°F. In 5-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in cooked pasta, salt, pepper and pasta sauce.
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Step2In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
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Step3Spoon half of pasta mixture (about 3 1/2 cups) into bottom of baking dish. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly over pasta mixture in baking dish. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1 1/4 cups cheese.
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Step4Spray piece of foil large enough to cover baking dish with cooking spray. Cover baking dish with foil, sprayed side down. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
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Step5To Make Ahead: Wrap foil-covered casserole in double layer of plastic wrap; label and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and bake: Thaw overnight or until completely thawed in refrigerator. Remove plastic. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until center is hot (165°F) and cheese is melted. To bake from freezer (no thawing): Heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until center is hot (165°F) and cheese is melted.
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Nutrition
400
Calories
16g
Total Fat
27g
Protein
36g
Total Carbohydrate
2g
Sugars
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories
- 400
- Calories from Fat
- 150
- Total Fat
- 16g
- 25%
- Saturated Fat
- 8g
- 38%
- Trans Fat
- 1/2g
- Cholesterol
- 85mg
- 29%
- Sodium
- 840mg
- 35%
- Potassium
- 240mg
- 7%
- Total Carbohydrate
- 36g
- 12%
- Dietary Fiber
- 3g
- 12%
- Sugars
- 2g
- Protein
- 27g
% Daily Value*:
- Vitamin A
- 20%
- 20%
- Vitamin C
- 6%
- 6%
- Calcium
- 30%
- 30%
- Iron
- 15%
- 15%
Exchanges:
1 1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 2 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;Carbohydrate Choice
2 1/2Tips from the
Pillsbury Kitchens
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