Cheesy, saucy comfort food! We love this recipe for a simple and delicious vegetarian baked penne. Just follow a few quick tips and tricks and you’ll have yummy baked pasta on your table in no time!
Hello all!
It’s time for some more amazing Italian food around here!
Can we have too many cheesy, saucy, satisfying Italian recipes? If your continuing love for Italian marinara sauce, pork shoulder ragu, traditional bolognese sauce, and ground beef skillet pasta says anything, the answer is a resounding NO. Instead, you’re saying I need to share more Italian comfort food!
You ask, and I shall answer.
Vegetarian Baked Penne
I’ve actually had this recipe for a long time, but the original was much more complex. There were a few sauces, more ingredients and steps, and a lot more MORE to it, if you know what I mean. š Once I decided I wanted to share a baked pasta recipe with you all, I looked at that recipe and worked to streamline it.
Because the best go-to baked penne is going to be cheesy, comforting, simple, and delicious, while NOT using all the pots and pans in your kitchen.
In fact, I dare say this baked pasta can be weeknight dinner for a night when you have just a little more time to spend. And you’ll be happy to slide the casserole dish onto the table at your next pot luck, holiday meal, or Sunday dinner.
How do you make vegetarian baked penne?
To make simple vegetarian baked penne, combine parboiled penne with marinara sauce, shredded cheese, and basil. Bake until the cheese is melted and pasta is cooked through. Top with more cheese and basil.
What makes this baked penne special?
The burrata!
Using soft and fresh burrata provides the perfect creamy top to the pasta without having to make a bechamel sauce. Fresh mozzarella (at least the kind I can find) tends to get rubbery when heated, but the burrata warmed in the gentle heat as the pasta rests is gooey and creamy and stretchy.
Tips and Tricks for making the best baked penne
- Use a variety of cheeses. Each cheese – the parmesan, low-moisture mozzarella, and burrata – contributes to the whole.
- Par cook the penne in salted water. The salt will flavor the penne as it cooks and you’ll use the salted water to mix into the casserole.
- Fresh basil! Even in the middle of winter it is worth it to use fresh basil.
- Let the pasta rest. Not only is this the perfect time to add the burrata and let it soften, but a little time on counter will allow the dish to firm up and absorb the excess liquid.
- Use enough liquid. This recipe has 5 cups of marinara PLUS 1 cup of pasta water. This will make sure your pasta is saucy not dry.
Can you make vegetarian baked penne ahead?
Baked penne (or baked ziti) can be assembled ahead of time and either refrigerated overnight or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months. Once you have prepped the ingredients and mixed everything together in the casserole dish, cover and store.
From the fridge: Cover with aluminum foil. Then put in a preheated 400F oven for 40-50 minutes. The sauce will be bubbly and the cheese melted.
From the freezer: Defrost the pasta until thawed in the refrigerator (usually about 1 day). Then cover with aluminum foil and bake as above for 40 minutes.
Either way, you will add the burrata when it comes out of the oven. Note: The burrata does not reheat well. Don’t add it until your pasta is hot and you are ready to serve.
If you try my recipe for Vegetarian Baked Penne, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
For classic, cheesy Italian comfort food, you'll love this simple recipe for vegetarian baked penne! It's full of marinara sauce, mozzarella, and tender pasta. Mix it up by using rigatoni or ziti in place of the penne!
- kosher salt, for the water
- 5 cups marinara sauce
- 4 oz (~1 cup) shredded low-moisture mozzarella,
- 1 oz shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 16 oz penne, or other tube pasta such as ziti and rigatoni
- 8 oz burrata cheese
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil
Heat the oven to 400F. Pull out a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While you are waiting, get everything else prepped.
Heat the marinara sauce on medium high and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and keep it hot.
Shred the cheese and slice the basil. Add them both to a large bowl.
Add the penne to the boiling water and parcook for 5 minutes. (Pasta will still be firm.)
Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water and then drain the pasta.
Add the pasta and pasta water to the bowl along with the marinara sauce..
Give everything a good stir to evenly distribute the cheese and basil.
Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce is bubbling.
Remove the pasta from the oven. Uncover the dish and break up the burrata over the dish so that the cheese is spread out over the top. Recover the baking dish.
Let the pasta rest for 10 minutes. Then uncover and top with the basil. Serve.
- Burrata: Since the burrata is softened by the heat of the pasta, be sure to work quickly while topping the pasta with it. You don't need to be completely even, just have good coverage over most of the dish.
- Pasta: There are a number of short tube pastas which would be great in this recipe. Ziti, rigatoni, and mostaccioli are other choices.
- Make ahead: Make the pasta up through step 8. Then pour the pasta into the baking dish, wrap it well, and either store in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for up to two months. To cook take the cold pasta (if frozen, thaw overnight), cover with foil and bake for 40-50 minutes. Continue with the recipe as written.
- Marinara Sauce: You can use a fresh sauce, such as my Italian Marinara, or your favorite bottled sauce.
Debra says
Awesome! I made a double batch so I would have something to take to the new neighbors. Thanks for the info on freezing. I attached a post it with those details just in case they got too much welcome food. Such a joy to have something in the freezer when you need a quick and wholesome meal. She was definitely appreciative when I told her about the burrata!!
Sean@Diversivore says
I know, logically speaking, that there should be an upper limit to the amount of cheesy saucy pasta that I desire to consume. But I don’t think logic is my strong suit in this particular arena. Bring on the pasta. I love burrata, but I haven’t actually cooked with it myself yet (though I’ve eaten it more than a few times at restaurants). It’s definitely the perfect, rich, cheesy ingredient to anchor a baked vegetarian pasta dish though! That spoon rising out of the pan is making my swoon a little bit. I’m curious – do you think this would be good with something like caciocavallo too? Very different from burrata obviously, but something about the combination of flavours in the sauce and the other cheeses makes me feel like it would be a cool sub. Regardless, I’ll take a big ol’ double-serving of this please!
Daniela says
I’m obsessed with all things cheese, and this vegetarian baked penne looks like just the thing to satisfy my cheese cravings. I LOVE that you are using burrata instead of a bechamel sauce; what a great idea! Pinning this recipe for later!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I’ve tried both a bechamel and the burrata and the burrata won. It’s a game changer.
Julie Menghini says
Oh heavens, that cheese! I’m just drooling and know I’d burn my mouth because I wouldn’t be able to resist diving into a piping hot plateful of this penne recipe. I think pasta makes it so easy to make vegetarian meals. The sauce and all that cheese are enough. I was just introduced to burrata about a year ago by my son of all people and it’s great as an appetizer. I’ve got to try it in baking as you’ve done!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! Burrata is great. A little gentle heat and it gets all creamy and gooey. š