Bakes and casseroles are great for weeknight dinners and also wonderful for make ahead meals. You know meals that you need to prep well before they actually get “cooked” for dinner times. I have been making these more and more often. Between my new work schedule and our new camper lifestyle, I have to get a bit more creative with how I prepare meals. This recipe for Baked Penne Parm is a great make right away or make ahead meal that you family is sure to love.
I have added cut up Italian sausage as the protein for this meal. You can use chicken, turkey, beef or pork sausage. If you prefer ground meat, you will just need to brown it first. You can also add some grilled chicken in place of the sausage. If you need vegetarian option, you can also just omit the meat altogether, just increase the amount of pasta by half.
As I’ve mentioned in the recipe and above, this can be a make-ahead option. By creating the whole dish up to the point of actually baking the dish, you can set this aside for a future meal. You can wrap it in foil and place in the refrigerator to bake in the next 48hours. Simply put it straight into the oven from the refrigerator and add 10 minutes to the initial cook time. If you want to freeze and use this at a much later date, then wrap in plastic wrap instead of foil. Then place in freezer until ready to bake it. One the day that you plan to make it, place it in the refrigerator in the morning and it should be ready to bake by dinner time.
A great side option for this baked pasta dish would be garlic bread and a Caesar salad. This recipe is also great as leftovers, for lunches later in the week. A few minutes in the microwave and it’s will be great.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Baked Penne Parm
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 28oz can Crushed Tomato
- 1 15oz can Tomato Sauce
- 1 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning see recipe below
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 lb Italian Sausage Links cut into ½inch slices
- 1 lb Penne Pasta
- 2 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded, divided
- 1 cup Bread Crumbs
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley
Instructions
- In a 13×9 baking dish, add tomatoes, dried onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt, paprika, beef broth. Stir to combine.
- Add pasta, cut sausage and 1½ cup of parmesan cheese. Stir to evenly coat. Cover tightly with foil.
- If planning to use this for a "Make Ahead" meal, you can place it in the refrigerator at this to bake within 48 hours. If freezing, wrap securely with plastic wrap instead of foil and place in the freezer.
- In a small bowl, combine ½ cup parmesan cheese with garlic powder, bread crumbs and parsley. Set aside.
- Place in oven to bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with bread crumb mixture and bake another 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
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Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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