Piping hot, gooey, cheesy pasta is the perfect comfort food. Similar to lasagna, but this recipe is easy to throw together. It’s a hearty casserole that freezes well and makes enough to feed an army. Well, it fed my hungry family of four two nights in a row.
Amanda, Amanda’s Cookin’, is my Secret Recipe Club blog this month. Amanda is the founder of the Secret Recipe Club, so it’s especially fun to feature her blog and her recipe. We’ve been blogging friends for several years now, long before she started the Secret Recipe Club. She’s a very caring person who is always willing to give advice and help other bloggers navigate the ins and outs of blogging.
I chose to make Amanda’s No. 1 recipe for 2010, Baked Ziti. I substituted penne because it’s what I had on hand. You could use your favorite jarred pasta sauce, but I rarely buy pasta sauce because it’s so cheap and easy to make. My quick pasta sauce recipe is listed below the penne recipe. Visit Amanda for her pasta sauce recipe she used in this popular recipe.
This delicious baked pasta would be easy to change up. If you want to make a veggie version, just substitute veggies for the ground beef. I’m sure it would be fabulous with an Alfredo sauce and some spinach too.
I couldn’t resist taking pictures of the penne baking in the oven. Do you love to watch the cheese melt and brown up in the oven as much as I do?
Ingredients
- 1 lb box of penne pasta
- 4 cups prepared spaghetti sauce (jarred or my recipe is below)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 15 oz container ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (I used cheddar/jack)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes in rich puree
- 1 1/2 t. garlic powder
- 1 t. dried basil
- 1/4 t. red pepper flakes
- 1/4 t. salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain.
- In a large frying pan, saute onion in olive oil until transparent. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, drain. Stir in the ricotta, parsley, egg, salt, pepper and 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.
- Put pasta mixture into a greased 13×9 baking pan and cover with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.
- Combined all ingredients in a sauce pan on medium heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Notes
slightly adapted from Amanda's Cookin'
Visit the Secret Recipe Club for information about how to join in the fun each month.
Some of the links in my posts may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting Barbara Bakes when you shop!
I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
Wowo that looks super cheesey yumm. My daughter would love this if i make this for her.
I love penne or any pasta that looks like this. It’s my favorite comfort food. Yummmm……………..
Yum! You can’t go wrong with pasta, cheese, tomato sauce, and more cheese! Great choice.
It is nice to see one great cook, make another great cook’s recipe. It looks good and I think, I should make it soon.
Yum! When I was a kid I didn’t like pasta (weird, I know) until I realized just how delicious it is when covered in cheese. This looks great.
Scrummy! that is the kind of comforting dish I never get tired of eating.
Cheers,
Rosa
Mmm, comfort for sure! I’m making 3 lasagnas for my husbands work party (he volunteered our house1) this Saturday, it’s sure tempting to make it even easier with pasta like this! Hmmm.
Oh what cheesy goodness. That’s comfort food for sure.
This is my kid’s favorite type of meal! A must try
Voilà deux plat bien appétissants
Je te souhaite une belle soirée
Valérie
I love simple, wonderful dinner ideas like this one!
you had me at gooey cheesy pasta! I love penne much less one that is full of such flavor and shear goodness! YUM~
I need to make this for myself SOON! It looks so good.
Looks delicious. Love your photo!
This looks so good, I love these meals. I think I’ll make it tonight! Nice choice.
looks delicious Barbara! Nothing says comfort like a pan of cheesy pasta. Meals like this are a favorite in the winter for us.
Look wonderful – since i am pregnant i have been craving pasta – and eating lots of it – this is just what i need
This kind of meal just says home to me. A little salad and I’m set.
This looks delicious, warm and comforting! I cannot wait to join the Secret Recipe Club! I am just a few recipes away from being “eligible” to join you!
100% comfort food for me.
Cheesy and gooey…yum. I can eat this every day!
Barbara I love watching the cheese too especially when it starts to bubble. Yum! I love the sound of your quick tomato sauce. I never would have thought to put garlic powder in it. Brilliant!
This is definitely my idea of comfort food!
My Oh My. Cheesy pasta deliciousness. Can’t beat it.
OMG…I’ve eaten so much sweet the past week, how I crave that whole pan of baked penne. My junior year of college, after going off the food plan, I think we made baked ziti ‘rigott’ (one of my roommates was Italian and that’s how almost every person of Italian heritage,t hat I know, pronounces it lol) at least once a week. Beautifully done, and something I would have chosen myself!
This is totally my idea of comfort food. Hot and creamy pasta on a cold day like today, I can think of nothing better.
*kisses* HH
I love baked pasta, yours looks great!
Yum!
My favorite comfort food is my knock-off of Corner Bakery’s Chicken Pesto Cavatappi. (Recipe on left sidebar of site.)
Thanks so much for sharing this baked penne recipe.
I might make and freeze for the busy holidays!
This is one of my all time favorite comfort foods! I ate it regularly growing whenever I visited one of my friends, but I haven’t had a good recipe to try it myself. I’ll be trying this soon!
baked penne is one of my favorites. this looks SO good!
Hehe I’m really like you mum because I love watching cheese melt and brown! And I love melted cheese too!
xxx
This looks fantastic! I loved dishes like this. Cheesy, gooey, Italian! Looks like a must make!
This looks great, Barbara. I have family coming into town this weekend and this is so tempting because, well it looks delish, and I can make it ahead of time. I like your quick sauce too!
Hi Barbara! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish, it’s a family favorite around here. You sure can make it photograph well too LOL! Thank you!
This looks delicious. I looooove the picture of it baking. Those pictures make me hungry every single time.
Hi Barbara
Your cheese mixture: Cheddar, sharp or extra sharp, Jack, Montery or Colby Jack.
Hi Jackie – I used a Colby Jack.