How to Make this Easy Lasagna Bake Recipe

Make this easy dinner recipe…Lasagna Bake with Penne Pasta. Dinner can be ready and on the table in 30 minutes. Easier than a traditional Lasagna Recipe.

PASTA LASAGNA BAKE WITH PENNE PASTA

One thing I love is an easy dinner recipe.  When you have a family, things can get really busy.  Sometimes I don’t have a lot of time to make dinner for the family and I need something that is quick and easy…but delicious.  This Lasagna Bake with Penne Pasta is a simple recipe you can make in 30 minutes or less.

BAKED PASTA LASAGNA

My family loves Baked Pasta Lasagna…and even though Lasagna is pretty simple to make, sometimes you want to make something even more simple! LOL!  We had Lasagna on the menu plan one night.  After a busy day I got everything out to start dinner and realized I had forgotten to get some Lasagna Noodles.  I did have some Penne noodles on hand so I modified my Lasagna Recipe a bit to make this Lasagna Bake.

To my surprise, the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.  They said they liked it even better than our usual Lasagna.  Well…what do you know…I guess this Lasagna Bake will be making it’s way into our family’s recipe rotation.

WHAT NOODLES CAN YOU USE FOR LASAGNA BAKE?

You can use a few different types of pasta noodles for this lasagna bake. We like to use penne pasta. But you can use elbow macaroni, rigatoni noodles, rotini noodles or even regular lasagna noodles.

DO YOU BAKE LASAGNA COVERED OR UNCOVERED?

If you bake lasagna uncovered, the oven heat will quickly dry out your lasagna noodles, no matter how much sauce you’ve added. Make sure to always add a layer of aluminum tin foil over your baking dish, which will seal the moisture inside the baking pan while still allowing the dish to cook properly. If you want it a little crispy, just pull the foil off the last few minutes of baking.

CAN YOU FREEZE PASTA LASAGNA?

Yes! Lasagna freezes and reheats really well. I love to double the recipe and make an extra pan of lasagna bake and store it in the freezer to pull out on a busy night! Because the flavors are given more time to meld together, reheated lasagna tastes delicious the second time around!

HOW DO YOU REHEAT BAKED LASAGNA?

If you are pulling the lasagna from the fridge to reheat let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats to 350 degrees and then bake the lasagna covered with foil for 30 minutes until it’s hot and bubbly throughout.

If the Lasagna Bake has been in the freezer, you will need to let it sit out to thaw for an hour or two before placing the covered casserole dish into a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

COOKING SUPPLIES TO MAKE LASAGNA BAKE

• Stainless steel skillet
• Pasta Strainer
• Clip-On Pot Strainer
• Wooden Utensils
• Stainless Steel Pasta Server
• Rotary Parmesan Cheese Grater (restaurant style)
• Casserole baking dish
• Baking Pan
• aluminum foil

HOW TO MAKE PASTA LASAGNA BAKE

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (12 ounce) package dry penne pasta
• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage or ground beef
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• ½ tsp. oregano
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic
• (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or cheddar cheese)
• 1 cup Italian cheese blend

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Add pasta and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.  (If you want a softer noodle cook for the longer time).
4. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Place sausage, onion and garlic in the skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat.
5. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Toss with cooked pasta, and place in a 9×13 inch baking dish.
8. Sprinkle top with mozzarella and italian cheese blend.
9. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. (Cover with foil if you don’t want some noodles on the top to be hardened).

BAKED PENNE PASTA

Go ahead and try it out for yourself.  Feel free to make any adjustments to the spices so that it fits your family’s tastes.  You can always change up the cheese blends, add some parmesan cheese, throw in some spinach or more spices.

5 from 2 votes

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Lasagna Bake with Penne Pasta

Make this easy dinner recipe...Lasagna Bake with Penne Pasta. Dinner can be ready and on the table in 30 minutes. Easier than a traditional Lasagna Recipe

Course Dinner

Keyword lasagna, lasagna bake, pasta, penne pasta

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 239 kcal

Author Amy

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz. penne pasta
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage or ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 15 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes with garlic
• 1 6 oz. tomato paste
• ½ tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or cottage cheese
• 1 cup italian cheese blend
• 1/2 c cup ricotta cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Add pasta and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. (If you want a softer noodle cook for the longer time).
4. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Place sausage, onion and garlic in the skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat.
5. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Toss with cooked pasta, and place in a 9×13 inch baking dish.
8. Sprinkle top with mozzarella and italian cheese blend.
9. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. (Cover with foil if you don’t want some noodles on the top to be hardened).

Nutrition Facts

Lasagna Bake with Penne Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 239 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 46mg15%

Sodium 425mg18%

Potassium 147mg4%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 76IU2%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 96mg10%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

MORE PASTA RECIPES

Sharing some more of our favorite pasta recipes below:

• Italian Macaroni and Cheese
• Spinach Artichoke Ravioli
• Crockpot Mac and Cheese
• Mac and Cheese Kielbasa
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
• Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
• Spaghetti Carbonara
• Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

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