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4.6 from 23 votes

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

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By: Joanna Cismaru •10/10/22 13 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Baked Penne with Italian Sausage is cheesy, it’s saucy and totally made from scratch! Freezer friendly and an easy dreamy weeknight dinner!

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage in a white casserole dish
Table of Contents Open
  • Baked Penne With Italian Sausage Recipe
  • How to Make Baked Penne With Italian Sausage
  • What Kind of Pasta Can I Use?
  • Other Veggies You Can Add to Baked Penne
  • Other Sausage or Meat to Use
  • Expert Tips
  • How to Store or Freeze Baked Penne
  • Looking for More Recipes? Try These:
  • Baked Penne with Italian Sausage
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Video
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

Baked Penne With Italian Sausage Recipe

Italian pasta dishes are the best and most classic comfort foods. This baked penne with Italian sausage is sure to get everyone to the table as soon as it comes out of the oven. If it were up to me I’d eat pasta every day for lunch and dinner. However, since hubs is not such a fan, I compromise to every once in a while.

This baked penne is everything a cheesy pasta casserole should be: cheesy, comforting, filling and super saucy! It also feeds a crowd, so feel free to share with your friends and family.

process shots for making the sauce for Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

How to Make Baked Penne With Italian Sausage

Start by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain it and set it aside.

Make the sauce by cooking the sausage until no longer pink inside then start adding the rest of the ingredients to it. You’ll want to simmer this for 20 to 30 minutes, to give time for the sauce to do its thing. The longer you simmer it the better it will taste. Trust me!

Once the sauce is done, toss it with the penne or pasta of your choice and half of the mozzarella cheese. Transfer it to a casserole dish and top it with the remaining cheese.

Bake this in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 F degrees until it’s bubbly and the cheese has melted.

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage process shots

What Kind of Pasta Can I Use?

The great thing about casseroles like this is their versatility. Pretty much any type of pasta can work. Penne, ziti, shells, rigatoni, fusilli, rotini, whatever you have in your pantry.

If you wanted to, you could even turn this into a spaghetti bake and use spaghetti.

Other Veggies You Can Add to Baked Penne

I love hiding veggies in casseroles like this. In this casserole I added lots of peas, because I love the sweetness they add to the dish.

Other things you could add are mushrooms, spinach, zucchini or even cauliflower florets.

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage process shots

Other Sausage or Meat to Use

You can of course use any ground meat such as beef, pork or for a healthier option ground chicken or turkey. If you want to stick to sausage, spice things up a bit by using a spicy Italian sausage.

For a bit of a Mexican flare, try a chorizo sausage or Andouille sausage.

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage in a casserole dish

Expert Tips

  1. Save time by making this ahead of time. Prepare everything up to step 8, cover it up with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until next day when you’re ready to bake it.
  2. You can also divide this into two smaller baking dishes, especially if you have a smaller family. Freeze one for later and bake the other!
  3. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ingredients, as mentioned above. This dish is very versatile. Use your favorite sausage, throw in your favorite veggies and try different cheeses. You won’t be disappointed.
Baked Penne with Italian Sausage in a white plate

How to Store or Freeze Baked Penne

As with any pasta dish, if stored properly in an airtight container, baked pasta can last 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze this in an airtight container and it will last longer, 1 to 2 months.

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage in a white plate with a fork

Looking for More Recipes? Try These:

  • Zucchini Lasagna
  • Baked Mac and Cheese
  • Moussaka Recipe
  • Baked Spaghetti Casserole
  • Easy Tuna Casserole
  • Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
  • Crack Chicken Penne

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

side view shot of a fork taking a bite of baked penne with italian sausage
Print
4.57 from 23 votes

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 50 minutes
Total 1 hour
Rate Recipe
This Baked Penne with Italian Sausage is cheesy, it’s saucy and totally made from scratch! Freezer friendly and an easy dreamy weeknight dinner!
10

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian sausage (mild, casings removed (about 5 links))
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 28 ounce diced tomatoes (canned)
  • 1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
  • 1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon basil (dried)
  • ½ teaspoon thyme (dried)
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seed
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 10 ounces green peas (frozen)
  • 12 ounces penne (dry (or ziti))
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Cook Pasta: Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
  • Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  • Make Sauce: Crumble the sausage meat into a large skillet over medium heat and brown, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until it’s no longer pink.
  • Add the onion, pepper and continue cooking for another 3 minutes, or until the onion and pepper have softened and the onion is translucent.
  • Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, tomato paste, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring often as needed.
  • Stir in the peas. Remove the sauce from heat. 
  • Toss penne with sauce: Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir. Stir in about 1 cup of cheese. 
  • Assemble: Transfer the pasta to a large casserole dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. 
  • Bake: Transfer the casserole dish to the preheated oven and bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, for about 20 minutes.
  • Serve: Garnish with parsley or basil if desired and serve warm.

Video

Notes

  1. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for 1 to 2 months.
  2. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 402kcal (20%)Carbohydrates: 36g (12%)Protein: 18g (36%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)Cholesterol: 52mg (17%)Sodium: 738mg (32%)Potassium: 521mg (15%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 555IU (11%)Vitamin C: 31mg (38%)Calcium: 169mg (17%)Iron: 2.5mg (14%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

side view shot of a fork taking a bite of baked penne with italian sausage

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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13 Comments
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Jo-Anne
Jo-Anne
Posted: 1 month ago

I have to say this is my go to recipe when it is cold outside. This is a very good, easy to make meal, that freezes well and tastes just as good coming out of the freezer as it does freshly made. 5 star recommendation

0
Reply
lazyme
lazyme
Posted: 5 months ago

5 stars
Great dish. I froze 1/2 of it for another day and that turned out great too. I’ll be making this again soon for company. I must eat more than the rest of you…….this made about 4 hearty servings rather than 10. lol. Thanks for sharing this nice keeper.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  lazyme
Posted: 5 months ago

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!

0
Reply
Elizabetg
Elizabetg
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
Definitely not a weeknight recipe in our house ( at least an hour before it even gets in the oven), but worth prepping ahead of time to bake later in the week. So good!

0
Reply
robert nawrot
robert nawrot
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
This recipe is a staple in our house. We have this once a week. My kids are usually picky eaters, and this was finished in no time. Thanks jo. We really appreciate it.

0
Reply
Bethany Samu
Bethany Samu
Posted: 3 years ago

Made this and we loved it. Froze the rest. How do you suggest cooking from frozen?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Bethany Samu
Posted: 3 years ago

Best method would be letting it thaw in the fridge overnight and microwaving it, or baking it covered at 350F until heated through!

0
Reply
Martha Ballon
Martha Ballon
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
I made this for Valentine’s dinner last night! It was delicious! my whole family loved it and had seconds. An awesome recipe, among many!!!! Thank you Jo!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Martha Ballon
Posted: 3 years ago

My pleasure, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

0
Reply
Christine Carroll
Christine Carroll
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
The recipe looked good, I had all the ingredients in the house, and two hungry men looking for quality and quantity (tho’ not necessarily in that order…)

The results were fantastic and half of the large casserole disappeared at supper. The rest will go today after lunches are packed . The seasonings are right on the money and the house smelled incredibly good while the meal was cooking in the oven. Great job, Jo!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Christine Carroll
Posted: 3 years ago

I’m so happy to hear this, Christine! It’s a good thing you have leftovers. 🙂

0
Reply
Dee
Dee
Posted: 10 years ago

5 stars
I baked The Penne and Italian Sausage this evening for supper
It was totally awesome! another 10 for you… I would give you more if I could!!
The only things I changed was I omitted the peas…as I have a thing for peas!!! An I didn,t have all the spices so compromised and used some Italian seasoning!
Again……………an awesome recipe and will be making it quite often in our home!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Dee
Posted: 10 years ago

Thanks Dee, you’re awesome. 🙂

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
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