Lazy Lasagna Penne Bake layers melty cheese, rich sauce, and tender noodles into a sliceable comfort-food centerpiece.
Skip the Sheets: A Sliceable Penne Lasagna
All the cozy, cheesy lasagna flavor with half the fuss—penne stands in for sheets so you can get dinner on the table faster and slice it like a casserole.
Think lasagna without the rolling, stacking, or wrestling with noodles: penne does the heavy lifting here. Short pasta catches pockets of rich meat sauce and melted cheese so every bite is a tidy mix of tender noodle, bright tomato, and salty, oozy mozzarella. Browning the 80/20 beef with onion and garlic gives the sauce the savory backbone of a classic lasagna without extra simmer time.
A few small technique choices make this feel elevated while staying easy. Cook the penne about 2 minutes shy of package directions so it finishes perfectly in the oven; mix ricotta with an egg to make a creamy, sliceable layer; and combine marinara with crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning for depth and balance. Assemble in a lightly oiled 9x13-inch dish, top with mozzarella and Parmesan, then bake at 375°F until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are golden.
This is a forgiving dinner: it can be assembled ahead and refrigerated for an hour or two before baking, or baked, cooled, and sliced for leftovers that reheat beautifully. A simple green salad, roasted vegetables, or garlic bread make fine partners if you want to keep things classic. If you’re feeding a crowd, double the sauce and everyone will go back for seconds.
Practically speaking, plan on about 15 minutes of prep and roughly 35 minutes in the oven to yield six generous servings. Small touches—salting the pasta water, draining any excess fat after browning the beef, and not overcooking the penne—keep the texture just right, so each slice holds together and still pulls apart with gooey, melty satisfaction.
Ingredients
How to Make Lazy Lasagna Penne Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions (about 8–9 minutes) so it’s al dente; drain and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chopped onion; cook 4–5 minutes until translucent, then add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon; brown until no pink remains, about 6–8 minutes, then drain any excess fat.
- Stir the marinara sauce and crushed tomatoes into the beef, add red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and simmer 8–10 minutes to meld flavors.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, the egg, Italian seasoning, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper; stir until smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooked penne with the meat sauce, dollop in the ricotta mixture and fold gently until mostly combined; stir in half (4 oz) of the shredded mozzarella and half the Parmesan.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan evenly on top, and bake uncovered 18–22 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly and golden.
- Let the bake rest 5–10 minutes before serving, then garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve family-style; leftovers refrigerate up to 4 days.
Recipe Card
Lazy Lasagna Penne Bake
Lazy Lasagna Penne Bake layers melty cheese, rich sauce, and tender noodles into a sliceable comfort-food centerpiece.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions (about 8–9 minutes) so it’s al dente; drain and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chopped onion; cook 4–5 minutes until translucent, then add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon; brown until no pink remains, about 6–8 minutes, then drain any excess fat.
- Stir the marinara sauce and crushed tomatoes into the beef, add red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and simmer 8–10 minutes to meld flavors.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, the egg, Italian seasoning, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper; stir until smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooked penne with the meat sauce, dollop in the ricotta mixture and fold gently until mostly combined; stir in half (4 oz) of the shredded mozzarella and half the Parmesan.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan evenly on top, and bake uncovered 18–22 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly and golden.
- Let the bake rest 5–10 minutes before serving, then garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve family-style; leftovers refrigerate up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 68
- Saturated Fat
- 19
- Sodium
- 970
- Fiber
- 5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 21
- Protein
- 53
- Fat
- 41
- Cholesterol
- 160
- Trans Fat
- 0.3
- Calories
- 857
- Sugar
- 10