Baked Penne with Italian Sausage is nothing short of awesome! Penne pasta is baked up in a delicious spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and then topped with a sprinkling of Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. This fabulous recipe is also fairly quick and easy to make up, too. Then just pop it in the oven and let it bake.

Follow Me On Instagram!

When we had company over for lunch a couple of weeks ago, I made two pasta main dishes. One was the Baked Penne with Italian-Style Meatballs. That delicious recipe had meatballs with toasted pine nuts. I also made this pasta dish. The same basic recipe, but using Italian sausage and a spaghetti sauce that included Italian sausage for a double whammy! I used a mild and sweet Italian sausages from Johnsonville that were amazing. I have to admit, I loved this recipe. And everyone else did, too.

This casserole is great for company because  you can get about 10-12 large servings out of this dish. On the other hand, if you don’t mind eating leftovers, this dish reheats really well either in the oven or the microwave.

If you’re looking for a tasty and delicious pasta recipe with or without Italian sausage, this is it! You will savor each mouthful.

When I initially made this recipe in March 2014 I was really disappointed with how my pictures turned out. I’ve been going back through and remaking old recipes where the pictures were less than satisfying. I recently remade this recipe (January 2018) for our Friday night care group. Wow! Everyone loved this recipe–even the kids! There seemed to be a line forming to get second and third helpings!

It really is a terrific and fairly easy recipe to make. If you’re short on time you can prepare the recipe a night in advance and then cook it up the next day for dinner. It will take longer to cook through if the ingredients are cold rather than at room temperature. Even still, you’ll have a delicious dinner that everyone will enjoy. And, if you’re not careful, you’ll discover there are very little leftovers for lunches. Oh, no!!!! 🙁  Yes, Baked Penne with Italian Sausage is that good. 🙂

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage is one of the best pasta dishes we have ever eaten!

I served this pasta dish with Apple Pie Bread the first time I made it.

Each mouthful of this spectacular casserole is succulent and mouthwatering.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients. I used two kinds of Italian sausage: mild and sweet, to provide optimum flavor.

Brown Italian sausage and drain.

Meanwhile, cook penne pasta according to package directions, except al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Mix cooked Italian sausage, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, an egg, and cooked penne pasta. 

Stir well to combine. Add spaghetti sauce.

Add Italian seasoning. (I had to transfer everything to a larger bowl because the other bowl was too small!)

Spray a 9×13″ baking dish with cooking spray. Add pasta mixture.

Spread remaining sauce over top of pasta. 

Now sprinkle with parmesan cheese. This cheese actually came from a bag and was very finely grated. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

The addition of extra sauce, the Italian seasoning, and the Italian sausage make this savory casserole very sumptuous.

This cheesy dish is so big on taste!

Every bite is succulent and amazing.

Here’s the recipe.

BAKED PENNE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

(My own concoction)

Doesn’t Baked Penne with Italian Sausage look terrific?

We loved Baked Penne with Italian Sausage and believe you will too.

Our company raved over this entree. In fact, everyone when back for second and third helpings!

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Baked Penne with Italian-Style Meatballs

Gluten Free Baked Penne

Baked Manicotti