Spinach and Sausage Baked Penne Pasta. This cheesy baked pasta recipe is one of our favorites. Baked Penne Pasta that is loaded with spinach and sausage and an easy homemade sauce then topped with mozzarella cheese and baked. This is the perfect baked pasta to feed a hungry family for dinner!
Spinach and Sausage Baked Penne Pasta
This easy baked pasta with sausage recipe is one of my family’s favorites. This baked penne is easy to make and prep and then you just bake it in the oven. Make it a full meal by adding a salad and some bread or rolls and dinner is done.
Pasta is my go-to for busy nights because it is something everyone in the house loves. For us, it is important that we have cheesy pasta. I can’t handle a pasta dish that is no creamy or cheesy. This easy-baked penne pasta covers all of the bases that are must-haves when we are having pasta for dinner.
If you are looking for an easy-to-make pasta recipe for dinner then you are going to love this one. It is super easy and only takes a few minutes of prep and it is super delicious.
Easy Pasta Recipes
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta Recipe
- Homemade Pasta sauce recipe
- Shrimp Alfredo Pasta
- Olive garden chicken pasta
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- Meatless baked Ziti
What to Serve with Spinach and Sausage Baked Penne Pasta
Normally when I make Spinach and Sausage Penne Pasta for dinner I take the easy way and get a loaf of fresh Italian bread from the grocery store and make a fresh salad. If you want to make things as easy as possible, doing bread and salad will make this a complete meal.
Can I use a different type of pasta?
Yes! If you are wanting to make this and don’t have penne pasta on hand you can use ziti noodles, Rigatoni, Farfelle, Rotini, or elbow macaroni.
If you want to make this baked pasta a healthy baked pasta then you can change out the pasta for whole wheat pasta.
Variations of this Recipe
Change up the meat. I like using Italian Sausages but you can also use ground Italian sausage, ground beef or ground chicken.
Add more cheese. If you like a more cheesy dish you can change out the cottage cheese for Ricotta cheese.
Veggies. I use frozen spinach, you can skip it if you o not like spinach or you can add other veggies like onions, bell peppers, or even chopped zucchini.
How to Freeze Baked Penne Pasta
One of the great things about homemade Baked Penne Pasta is that it is easy to make it a freezer meal. You can prep the whole Baked Penne Pasta dish and freeze it before baking it and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When I am making Spinach and sausage Penne Pasta (or any of my other homemade baked pasta recipes) have in the freezer I like to use the tinfoil pans instead of my normal glass baking dishes. To freeze baked penne pasta prep the whole dish and instead of putting it in the oven to bake, allow everything to cool and then cover it tightly with tin foil. Place the pan in the freezer.
When you want to serve the baked penne, remove it from the freezer, and bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Spinach and Sausage Baked Penne Pasta Ingredients
- Penne pasta
- olive oil
- Italian sausage
- fresh garlic, minced or grated
- Jarred tomato sauce
- diced tomatoes
- tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- sugar
- frozen chopped spinach
- cottage cheese
- shredded mozzarella cheese
How to Make Spinach and Sausage Baked Penne Pasta
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pot add water and a pinch of salt and cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 7 minutes and drain.
While the pasta is cooking, start making the sauce.
In a large pot heat, the olive oil in the pan add the sausage, and cook all the way through.
Remove the sausage from the pan and slice then set them aside. Add the garlic to the pot, cook for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste to the pot with the garlic and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, spinach, and cottage cheese simmer for a few minutes.
Add in the sausage and cooked pasta and mix well.
Coat a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray and pour the pasta mixture in.
Sprinkle the cheese on the top of the pasta. Place in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Check these out!
Spinach and Sausage Baked Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box Penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 15 ounces can tomato sauce or homemade tomato sauce
- 15 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 6 ounces can tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 7 minutes and drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, start making the sauce.
- In a large pot heat, the olive oil in the pan add the sausage, and cook all the way through. Remove the sausage from the pan and slice then set them aside. Add the garlic to the pot, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste to the pot with the garlic and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, spinach, and cottage cheese simmer for a few minutes. Add in the sausage and cooked pasta and mix well.
- Coat a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray and pour the pasta mixture in. Sprinkle the cheese on the top of the pasta. Place in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
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