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Wooden spoon filled with penne pasta, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
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4.95 from 59 votes

Easy Penne Pasta Bake

This penne pasta bake is a quick easy dinner made with a flavorful and delicious marinara meat sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese. Comfort food at its finest!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 474kcal
Author: Amanda Mason

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce penne pasta, uncooked
  • 1 lbs ground beef
  • ½ green pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½ medium onion, finely chopped
  • teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 24 ounce jar of Italian sausage pasta sauce
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Cook the pasta according to the package directions. 
  • Finely chop ½ the green bell pepper, ½ of the onion, and the 2 garlic cloves.
  • In a large skillet, add the 1 lb of ground beef, chopped green pepper, chopped onion, and chopped garlic cloves.
  • Cook over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Set aside and don't drain.
    Expert Tip: There is a lot of flavor in this mixture, so don't drain the meat.
  • Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain the noodles and put them in a large bowl.
  • Add the cooked beef mixture, the entire jar of pasta sauce, 2 beaten eggs, 1½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. 
  • Stir until well combined.
  • Add the mixture in the bowl to a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. 
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta and sauce mixture. 
  • Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
  • Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

  • 8 ounces of uncooked penne pasta will yield about 3 cups of cooked pasta. 8 ounces of uncooked penne pasta is half a box. 
  • You will lose a lot of flavor if you drain the beef, onion, garlic, and green pepper mixture. To reduce the fat, use ground beef with a lean-to-fat ratio of 94:6.
  • I've made this pasta bake recipe with both ground turkey and Italian style ground beef. The Italian ground beef adds a ton of flavor and pairs well with the jar of Italian sausage pasta sauce.
  • If you can't find Italian sausage pasta sauce, you can use any jar of sauce. But you'll lose some of that Italian sausage flavor. 

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 678mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 644IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 3mg