Easy No-Boil Pasta Bake

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This Easy No-Boil Pasta Bake is the perfect weeknight family dinner. A one-pan meal that requires just 5 minutes of prep, you will love it! This dish is super simple and easy to customize with your favorite sauce, protein and veggies.

Honestly, who doesn't love fast and easy meals? I love meals that require little to no preparation, essentially cook themselves and involve very minimal dishes. There may be no chore I despise more than doing the dishes.

This is the perfect meal for back to school season when everyone's schedules are all over the place and you barely have time to think about what to have for dinner, let alone make it.

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• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Storage
• Similar Recipes
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• Recipe

Ingredients

This no-boil pasta bake recipe requires minimal ingredients and you're most likely to already have a few of them in your kitchen. I almost always have a few boxes of pasta, some cheese, a sauce or two and various veggies.

What you need:

• Box or package of pasta- a penne or fusilli type pasta will work great
• 2 jars of marinara or pasta sauce- use your family's favorite
• Veggies- I used broccoli florets for this recipe but you can use anything you have on hand; onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc.
• Chicken sausage- I used precooked Bilinski's spicy Italian sausage but you can use your favorite chicken sausage.
• Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Seasonings- salt, black pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning.

Instructions

Prep: minimal prep is required for this dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Dice the chicken sausage into bite-sized rounds and if necessary, cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

Assemble: assemble the pasta bake. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, add about ¼ cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. Top the sauce with pasta, the chicken sausage, 3 cups of vegetables, ½ cup parmesan cheese, 1 cup water, 2 16-20 oz. jars of marinara sauce. Then add 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, 2 garlic cloves minced and ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning.

Mix: using a large spoon, mix all ingredients together in the pan until well combined.

Bake: top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil from the baking dish and bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered. Then, broil for about 90 seconds until the cheese bubbles (optional).

Substitutions

This no-boil pasta bake is super customizable and can be made for different diet types if need be.

• Pasta- I used whole wheat penne for this recipe but white pasta, gluten-free pasta or even a red lentil pasta will work as long as it's penne, ziti or fusilli shaped. Spaghetti or linguine won't work in this recipe.
• Sauce- I used two different brands of sauce because it's what I had in my pantry. You can use your favorite marinara or pasta sauce, any kind will work.
• Chicken sausage- use your favorite type of chicken sausage, shredded rotisserie chicken, diced grilled chicken or even ground meat (chicken, turkey, beef). The ground meat will need to be browned on the stove beforehand. This can also be made without meat if you are vegetarian.
• Broccoli- I used precut broccoli florets to make it easier, but you can use onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, or any of your favorite vegetables in this dish.
• Cheese- I used parmesan and mozzarella, but you can use cheddar, a pizza cheese blend, ricotta, provolone or vegan cheese.
• Seasonings- I would suggest using salt and pepper in the dish, but you can add other spices if you wish. Red pepper flakes, onion salt, basil, or oregano would all be great additions.

Storage

I stored leftovers in a glass storage container in the freezer. The pasta bake should last a few weeks to a few months if stored in a freezer-safe container. Leftovers can stay in the fridge for about 4 days.

To defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours (no more than 4 for food safety reasons) or place the container in cold water to speed up the process.

To reheat: Once defrosted, heat in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes in a microwave-safe container or in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

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Check out my Weekly Meal Planning and Prepping Tips to assist with your menu this week!

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