This EASY CHEESY Penne Pasta Spinach Bake may not be the poster child for “Good-Looking” meals, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in TASTE! This meatless pasta dish, with three Italian cheeses, tastes wonderful, and is incredibly easy to prepare!
I came up with this simple penne pasta spinach bake recipe one day while brainstorming what to make for dinner. After taking stock of what I had in my refrigerator and pantry, I decided to make this recipe using what I already had in the house. The results? A really good, SIMPLE to prepare meal!
Since I was creating a meal off the top of my head, I didn’t document the process too well with photos. So these photos are just to give you an idea… trust me, the meal tastes a LOT better than it looks in these pictures.
How Is The Penne Pasta Spinach Bake Made?
The recipe is very straightforward. Penne pasta is cooked and drained. Spaghetti sauce (your choice-homemade or store-bought), mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta, garlic powder and fresh spinach are added and mixed in.
The penne pasta spinach bake is then placed into a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray.
The penne pasta spinach bake is then topped with additional mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Time To Cook The Penne Pasta Spinach Bake!
Bake the pasta dish (covered with aluminum foil) for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 5 more minutes (uncovered). That’s it!
Serve the penne pasta spinach bake hot… and enjoy! It may not be the most “appetizing” looking photo I’ve ever taken, but it really does taste GOOD!
Hope you will give this recipe a try! It is filling, filled with flavor, and is a cinch to prepare! The leftovers were good, too!
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- 3/4 pound penne pasta
- 16 ounces Marinara sauce (approx. - homemade or use a jar of sauce-need enough for 4 servings)
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ cups chopped fresh spinach
- Additional Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for topping casserole (approx.1/4 cup each)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Place pasta in large mixing bowl.
- Add spaghetti sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and ricotta cheeses, fresh chopped spinach, plus garlic powder. Stir into pasta until ingredients are fully coated and combined.
- Pour pasta into prepared 9x13 pan. Add additional mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses to top.
- Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove pan from oven and serve pasta immediately.
Number of servings will depend on the size portion you serve.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!