No Boil Pasta Bake

overhead image of baked pasta with spinach and meatballs on a plate with a fork.

5 from 1 vote

This No Boil Pasta Bake is a hearty one-pan pasta dinner that doesn't even require you to pre-boil the noodles! Uncooked penne is baked together with broth, marinara, cashew cream, and spices until tender, then finished with your choice of meat, ricotta, sautéed spinach, and mozzarella cheese!

Prep Time10

Cook Time55

Total Time1 5

Servings: servings

Ingredients

16 ounces penne pasta A penne-type shape works best. I love Jovial brand gluten-free pasta
1 24- ounce jar of your favorite store-bought marinara sauce roasted garlic, arrabiata, or classic work great!
1 1/2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1/4 cup half and half, cashew cream (for dairy-free), or coconut milk (dairy-free)
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules/powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Optional: 1/2 cup ricotta cheese dolloped throughout
Optional: 1 to 2 cups cooked sliced sausage or chopped up meatballs (I prefer making mini meatballs)
Optional: 1 cup sautéed spinach
1 1/2-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
To a 9x13 baking dish, add your uncooked pasta, sauce, broth, cream of choice, and spices. Mix the ingredients until well combined.
Cover the baking dish with foil (see note) and place your dish in the oven in the center of your rack. Bake for 40 minutes.
At 40 minutes, uncover and test the pasta for doneness. if the pasta isn’t cooked to your liking, re-cover and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until al dente or soft.
Once the pasta is fully cooked, add your optional add-ins: spoon dollops of ricotta cheese, protein (sausage or meatballs), and spinach or cooked veggies, if adding, and sprinkle the mozzarella over top.
Bake an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly, melted, and golden brown! Alternately you can broil for 60-90 seconds (watch closely) to get your cheese melty!
Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Grease the dish. While you don't need to, if you don't mix/cover really well, you may have some sticking in the corners.
Check the pasta for doneness. After 40 minutes of baking, check one of the noodles to see if it's done. If it's still under-cooked, add a few minutes at a time until the pasta is al dente! Checking the pasta before serving is especially important since you're starting with uncooked noodles.
Adding meat and veggies? Be sure to cook them before mixing them into the pasta bake.
Meat ideas: roasted chicken, meatballs, proscuitto, mini meatballs, sausage, etc. you really can't go wrong!
Rest before serving. I recommend letting your baked penne pasta cool for a few minutes before you dig into it. This allows the sauce to thicken (and keeps you from burning your mouth!)

Nutrition