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I think this is possibly the best thing I have ever made. And it was so easy! I am spreading this recipe far and wide! Thanks so much!!
Effie
This recipe is sponsored by Land O’Lakes, Inc.
Alright, gather round.
Let me tell you the tale of the no-boil, fail-proof, garlic-buttery, dreamy baked penne with meatballs.
The base of this baby is a velvety, savory, garlic-heavy tomato and butter sauce, which is just the right amount of clingy for those hearty whole wheat penne noodles. And the meatballs, spinach, and Parmesan round the whole thing out into a one-and-done type meal.
But what I really need you to know is this:
You can mix up UNCOOKED – repeat – UNCOOKED pasta, tomatoes, milk (!), garlic, and butter, in a pan and pop it in your oven and it will bake into something that tastes like you spent hours on it.
The importance of quality ingredients here is obviously high, considering that there aren’t many to begin with. Which is why we are using the best of the best: Land O Lakes® Butter! The only butter in my fridge. I really believe the butter is THE thing that takes this baked penne from average to OMG how did you make this? Gotta love that golden magic.
This is how you make it in literally one picture.
Mix and bake.
Note the garlicky butter mixture with oregano, and the fire roasted tomatoes, and the pasta, and the cheese because I got a little extra greedy in this particular batch.
All of it, plus or minus your extras, straight into the pan.
Mix, bake, and voila.
The world is your oyster. Or… your bubbling pan of baked penne.
You know that right now I’m digging the feed-my-family-in-two-snaps kind of meals, and bonus points if it’s easy enough to wear my baby in a wrap while making it.
This is that meal. Gold star, blue ribbon, new mom win. I’ve been making it so much, as well as this very similar Creamy Baked Orzo with Meatballs. Both are MAGIC.
Garlic, butter, tomato, penne, Parm, and spinach, HERE WE COME!
Watch How To Make Our Baked Penne with Meatballs:
No-Boil Baked Penne with Meatballs
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Baked Penne with Meatballs! No-boil, fail-proof, garlic-buttery, easy dreamy weeknight dinner. SO GOOD!
Ingredients
Baked Penne:
- 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta (half of the box)
- 1 28-ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 cups milk (I used whole milk)
- 1/2 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, melted
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1–2 teaspoons salt (I use 2 teaspoons of coarse kosher salt)
- meatballs, cooked shredded chicken, or other protein of choice
At the end:
- a few handfuls of spinach
- grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix all of the baked penne ingredients together in a 9×13 baking dish. Cover tightly with foil (double layer isn’t a bad idea).
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove foil (HOT HOT HOT) and give it a stir. Add spinach and top with Parm, and brown it up for 3-5 minutes under the broiler. Let it stand for a few minutes so the sauce has a chance to thicken up. Voila!
Notes
Protein: This is delicious with meatballs (I used these chicken meatballs), and also delicious with a pound of cooked shredded chicken. If you do not include any protein, you will probably have a bit more sauce than what you need. As written, the base gives you enough sauce to coat the noodles AND the additional protein.
Veggies: Seems like kale would also do really well in this recipe.
Garlic Thoughts: I find that garlic powder and onion powder gives a distinct flavor that doesn’t replace fresh garlic but fills out the recipe really nicely. It gives some of the same savory flavor as what you might get if you added a packet of dry ranch or Italian seasoning or something… without using a packet of dry ranch or Italian seasoning.
Al Dente Seekers: 30 – 35 minutes = slightly al dente pasta. 40 minutes = softer noodles. Keep in mind that the noodles soften as they cool / move into the leftovers stage.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: baked penne, penne with meatballs, no boil penne
Thank you to Land O’ Lakes, Inc. for sponsoring this recipe!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of easy pasta recipes. Check it out!
Have your ever used protein pasta with this recipe?
The milk seemed to curdle and the pasta cooked unevenly and longer than expected. Will not make again.
Hey just so you know I’m either way past “fool” or this isn’t fool proof. 400 degrees for 40 minutes = crunchy noodles. I preheated, I’m not sure how else this can go wrong. Turning up to 450 and putting back in for 20 more minutes. Very confused how it can go so wrong.
I made this for an after-work dinner for my family and it was a big hit!
Reading the other comments, I was nervous my pasta wouldn’t cook, or that the sauce wouldn’t thicken but it worked well! I actually left the pasta in the oven for a whole hour (got distracted with work) and it came out perfect.
I could only find raw meatballs at my supermarket and couldn’t see in the recipe how many meatballs/how much protein to use and was worried I’d wreck the pasta if I estimated, so I cooked the meatballs separately in the air fryer and served them separately too. All delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight, using some odds and ends. I had half a box of chickpea spaghetti that I wanted to use up, so I broke the spaghetti into thirds and it worked fine. I reduced the liquid because of the pasta shape. Roasted mushrooms, onions and garlic, vegan meatballs and frozen chopped spinach went in and this is a very quick, nutritious and tasty meal.
Such an easy comfort dish! The butter definitely gives it a decadent flavor. I didn’t have a can of tomatoes, so I used a 24 ounce jar of Raos and kept everything else the same. The flavor was perfect! I didn’t consider that the tomato sauce already had oil in it, so mine came out a little oily in addition to the 1/2 cup of butter, but after baking it for an additional five minutes and letting it sit for a little bit, it’s perfect!
I have made this so many times and it always turns out amazing!! This is a dish I often make for friends and someone always ends up asking for the recipe! A staple meal in our house, for sure!!
This was AH-mazing!! So easy and delicious! I veganized it for my husband by using almond milk and we loved it. It was thick and saucy and perfect! Thank you for another great and easy recipe!
SO GOOD! Can be made for meal prep lunches too!
Thank you. I like that this saves time by not cooking the pasta.
Garlic powder and onion powder, in my opinion, provide a unique taste to recipes that complements raw garlic without really replacing it.
My favorite POY recipe! Easy to throw together on a weeknight or any night tbh!
I followed to a T but for some reason my milk curdled and my bake was soupy, im not sure what I did wrong but I did try some and the taste itself was good lol
Has anyone ever halved this recipe? Curious about the outcome.
Was so excited about the simplicity of this recipe. Ours just did not work. At 50 minutes in the pasta was still crunchy. We added another 20 min on top of that. Sauce never thickened, very curdled-milky looking. Flavor was good. The recipe leaves very little margin for error so not sure what the difference could be.
This was delicious and so easy to whip up and pop in the oven. I actually forgot to make meatballs and had already eaten enough chicken for the week , so I pulled out some Italian sausage from the freezer. I cooked the sausage and mixed that in before cooking. It was great!!
Just made this with the meatballs and it’s so good! I used regular penne, unsweetened original almond milk, and olive oil instead of butter. I did double aluminum foil and cooked for 35 minutes + 5 after adding the spinach and noodles and sauce turned out perfect once I let it sit for 10 minutes.
Is this supposed to be 128oz can crushed tomato because that’s a lot! I’m assuming you meant 1x 28 oz can. Could this be why a lot of people are saying it’s too soupy?!
Correct, Theresa! One 28-ounce can.
Do I have to add the butter? 1/2 cup seems like a lot…. even for a splurge item as pasta! Any other healthier substations?
You could try simply cutting down on the butter or substituting with olive oil.
This recipe is GREAT! Tried on whim with a few “lazy cook” adjustments and everyone liked it. My question is how much “protein” do you mean? I threw in some but not certain if it’s too little or too much
1 to 1 1/2 pounds is usually a good amount for 4-6 servings. Depends on how much meat you like in your pasta dishes! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi,
Could I make this with a gluten free pasta? DO you have one that you recommend? I’m making this for a friend who does a gluten free diet. Thanks@
We’ve never made this recipe with gluten free pasta so we can’t say for sure. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out!
Looks delicious. Will your Turkey meatball recipe (with minced bell peppers) work with this pasta recipe?
This always takes a bit longer to cook than the recipe calls for but it is delicious!! One of my regulars, with or without the meatballs!
MN, love living with the beautiful seasons! Found your channel, it’s great! Your recipes look so yummy & the way you describe them is very helpful.
I made this for dinner last night and it was both simple & tasty. I used the al dente instructions and, when adding the spinach & parm, I also stirred in fresh basil and added slices of fresh mozzarella on top. Next time I’ll add mushrooms & maybe chopped pepper too if I have it. I’m definitely going to keep this recipe handy for nights where I need a quick meal (with leftovers)!
Glad you enjoyed this, Sue!