I am a huge fan of a cheesy Italian dish! Who isn’t? This was my first attempt at baked penne, and it turned out better than I expected. Isn’t that always the best? Yes, you usually hear baked ziti, but I didn’t have ziti. Improvisation, how it makes cooking fun!
Things you need:
24 ounce jar of tomato sauce (I used Classico Tomato Sauce, but you can use any brand you prefer, it will still taste great)
16 ounces of penne pasta
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup of mozzarella
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of cream
8×8 casserole dish
Large pot
Medium pot
In a large pot boil 6 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and a little drizzle of olive oil. Once the water reaches boiling, add the 16 ounces of uncooked pasta. At this point preheat the oven to 375F.
While the pasta is cooking, we’ll work on the tomato sauce. Pour all 24 ounces of sauce into a medium pot. Add 1/2 cup of cream, 2 tblspns of parmesan, 1/2 tsp of salt…
Cook the sauce to medium to high heat for about 7 minutes. Taste the sauce. If it needs more salt, add more. I added some red pepper flakes for an extra kick. If you have some Italian seasoning, add a couple pinches to the sauce. Whatever you’d like to add, add…
Once the pasta reaches al dente, drain the pasta, and then add the pasta back into the large pot. Pour half of the cooked tomato sauce into the large pot with the cooked pasta and mix well…
Ladle some sauce into the casserole dish first. This keeps the pasta from sticking to the glass while it bakes in the oven. Add a layer of pasta…
Ladle some sauce over the top of the pasta, and then shake parmesan cheese over the top…
Sprinkle some mozzarella over the parmesan cheese…
Repeat the same steps; pasta, sauce, parmesan, mozzarella. You should be able to make a total of three layers.
Bake this in the oven for 15 minutes…
And once it’s done, it should look a little something like this…
Hold on, let me take just a quick bite…
If you like spicy, add a couple shakes of Tabasco sauce, and fingers to lips, mmmmmwah!
Thanks for stopping by PeopleTreats! See you next time!
PeopleTreats 
I’ll take pasta any day! Baked pasta, even better!! Looks yum!
Oh, yes, pasta any day for me too! It always hits the spot! This recipe was so easy to make which is always a plus! And very tasty :)!
This is something I’m going to have to try as I never bake pasta. Okay, I’ve made lasagne, but not for years. And as we’ve hit winter already – no kidding – this is the right type of comfort food I’m needing right now 🙂
Oh, absolutely this is comfort food! Grab your Snuggie, a plate of this pasta, and comfort town or bust! BTW, I would love to trade weather with you. I’m here in California where the heat is never ending right now. Can’t wait for fall!
I think i will try this tonight 🙂
It’s really good. Having leftovers for dinner tonight 🙂