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.
Minimal ingredients: sauce, broccoli, garlic, salt, pepper, cheese, chicken sausage, pasta Top with cheese before baking
Ingredients
This 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 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 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.
- 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 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 a 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. It 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 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 or so.
If you like this recipe...
You may also like:
Classic Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce
If you make this recipe, comment below and let me know how it turned out! xo, Sarah
Check out my Weekly Meal Planning and Prepping Tips to assist with your menu this week!
Recipe
The Easiest No-Boil Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce package of penne, ziti or fusilli pasta
- 2 16 ounce jars marinara or pasta sauce*
- 3 cups broccoli or veggies of choice, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 package chicken sausage, cut into bite-sized rounds
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 400 degrees F. Dice the chicken sausage into bite-sized rounds and if necessary, cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
- 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, vegetables, parmesan cheese, water and jars of marinara sauce. Then add salt, black pepper, garlic cloves, and Italian seasoning.
- Using a large spoon, mix all ingredients together in the pan until well combined.
- Top with 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).
Michelle Rolfe says
Great idea for a quick and easy dinner when you have hungry kids to feed! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle
Sarah Holt says
Thanks Michelle!
Helen - Cooking with my kids says
I love a quick and easy dinner. This sounds perfect for a midweek meal in our house.
Sarah Holt says
The best kind of dinners and something everyone will enjoy!
Janice Pattie says
This is so my kind of dinner! I love how easy it is to make and all the flavour that's packed into this dish.
Sarah Holt says
Thanks Janice, love to make easy flavorful meals!