No-boil pasta bake is a true weeknight shortcut. Five minutes of prep, one pan, and dinner is ready in 45 minutes. There's no boiling water, no draining, and barely any dishes to wash. Dry pasta, sauce, sausage, veggies, and cheese all go into one baking dish and cook together in the oven.
Updated August 2026 - retested the water ratio and bake time so the pasta cooks through perfectly every time.
The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so every bite absorbs the flavor directly. Customize it with whatever sauce, protein, and vegetables you have on hand. Make it ahead and refrigerate until you're ready to bake, or double the batch and freeze half for later. This is great on nights when you want a cozy dinner without a lot of effort.
For another easy weeknight option, my creamy tomato vodka orzo is a pasta dinner I keep on repeat.
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Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- Pasta. Penne, ziti, rigatoni, or fusilli will all work great. I have not tested this with spaghetti noodles or other long pasta.
- Pasta sauce + water. This is what makes no-boil work. You need two 16-ounce jars of marinara (32 ounces total) plus 1½ cups of water to give the dry pasta enough liquid to hydrate as it bakes. Don't skip the water or reduce the sauce; that ratio is what cooks the pasta through. You can use jarred marinara or make your own homemade Italian pasta sauce if you have time.
- Veggies. Broccoli florets, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, anything works. Cut everything into bite-sized pieces so it cooks evenly.
- Chicken sausage. Pre-cooked Italian sausage is easiest. Rotisserie chicken, cooked ground meat, or meatballs also work. If using raw sausage or ground meat, cook it first.
See the recipe card below for quantities and remaining ingredients.
How to Make No-Boil Pasta Bake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Step 2: Add dry pasta, chicken sausage, vegetables, parmesan cheese, water and remaining sauce.
Step 3: Add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix everything until the pasta is well coated with sauce. No dry pasta patches should be sitting at the top.
Step 4: Top with mozzarella cheese, cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 8-10 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes if you want a golden and bubbly top. Rest for a few minutes before serving.
Sarah's Top Tips
- Seal the foil tightly. The foil traps steam, which is what cooks the dry pasta through. Press it down around the edges of the dish. Gaps let steam escape and can cause the pasta to come out crunchy.
- Don't reduce the liquid. The full amount of sauce and water is what hydrates the pasta. If you're making a half batch, use a smaller dish and keep the liquid-to-pasta ratio the same.
- Mix it well before baking. Every piece of pasta needs to be covered with sauce before it goes in the oven. Dry pasta sitting on top without sauce won't cook evenly.
- Test at 30 minutes. Lift a piece of pasta from the center of the dish. It should be just tender. If it still has a hard bite, re-cover with foil and bake 5 more minutes before uncovering.
- Let it rest before serving. Five minutes allows the sauce to thicken and the cheese to set.
- Use what you have at home. This recipe is designed to work with pantry staples and whatever vegetables need to be used up.
Common Issues
Why is my pasta still crunchy? Not enough liquid or loose foil. Make sure you're using the full 32 oz of sauce plus 1½ cups of water, and that the foil is pressed tightly around the edges. Re-cover and bake 5-10 more minutes if needed.
Why did the pasta turn out gummy? Semolina-based pasta holds up best here. Avoid adding extra water beyond the 1½ cups called for. Stirring halfway through the covered bake can help to distribute starch more evenly.
Why is the bottom stuck or burnt? The sauce layer on the bottom was too thin or skipped. Coat the bottom of the pan before adding anything else.
How do I know when it's done? Pasta should be fork-tender, sauce thick and bubbling at the edges, and cheese fully melted. If liquid is still pooling in the center, bake it for 5 more minutes uncovered.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in the fridge for about 3-4 days in an airtight container. It should last a few months if stored in a freezer-safe container.
Freezing unbaked. Assemble, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen and add 15-20 minutes to the covered bake time.
To defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours 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 the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
Make ahead: Assemble all the ingredients in the baking dish and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 5-10 minutes to the covered baking time.
Serving
This pasta bake is a full meal on its own. For a simple side, I usually go with garlic bread, a simple green salad, or my roasted garlic air fryer carrots, which come together while the pasta is baking.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below-I'd love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
One Pan No-Boil Pasta Bake (Ready in 45 Minutes)
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See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package of penne, ziti or fusilli pasta
- 2 (16 ounce) jars of marinara or pasta sauce*
- 1 ½ cups water
- 3 cups broccoli or veggies of choice, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 (12 ounce package) chicken sausage, cut into bite-sized rounds
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 400 degrees F. Spread about ¼ cup sauce across the bottom of the dish.2 (16 ounce) jars of marinara or pasta sauce*
- Top the sauce with pasta, chicken sausage, vegetables, parmesan cheese, water and jars of marinara sauce. Then add salt, black pepper, garlic cloves, and Italian seasoning.1 (16 ounce) package of penne, ziti or fusilli pasta, 1 ½ cups water, 3 cups broccoli or veggies of choice, 1 (12 ounce package) chicken sausage, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 (16 ounce) jars of marinara or pasta sauce*
- Mix well with a large spoon until the pasta is fully coated in sauce and liquid.
- Top with mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.1 cup mozzarella cheese
- Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 8-10 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes, if desired, until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Sarah's Tips
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- Don't skip the foil during baking. It traps steam and keeps the pasta from drying out.
- Don't reduce the liquid, even for a half batch. Use a smaller dish and keep the same ratio.
- Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Add 5-10 minutes to the covered baking time if baking from cold.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
SC says
My new go-to pasta dinner recipe!
Will Williams says
Hi. Can you please clarify: 2 (16 ounce) jars of marinara or pasta sauce - do you mean 2 x 16oz jars or do you mean 2 jars totalling 160z (i.e. 8oz per jar). Thanks
abbeymarisa@gmail.com says
Hi Will, thanks for the question. The recipe calls for 2 x (16 oz) jars, so a total of 32 oz of marinara or pasta sauce. Enjoy!
Mel says
pasta comes out gummy and weird
Sarah Hill says
Hi Mel, I’m sorry you had a negative experience with this recipe. A gummy texture can sometimes happen if the pasta releases too much starch, which might be affected by the brand or type of pasta used. I recommend using traditional semolina pasta and ensuring the sauce has enough liquid. Stirring the pasta halfway through baking can also help! I truly appreciate your comment and will be re-testing the recipe to see if any adjustments are needed.
C.Murphy says
I never comment on any recipe. Ever. But this recipe is awful. I'd give it 0 stars if it was possible. I made a half recipe, because there are only 2 of us. But even after using extra sauce and adding a bit more water to the smaller casserole dish, and baking it for an extra few minutes, the penne noodles were STILL not cooked through! It was awful! So, I added even more water, wrapped the casserole in dish in layers of plastic wrap and threw it in the microwave for 10 minutes at 70% power. After that, the noodles were softer, but the whole casserole was pasty even though there was extra sauce and extra water. Next time, I'm just gonna make a traditional casserole and boil the noodles. This was absolutely no timesaver and barely edible!
Sarah Hill says
Hi C, I'm so sorry this happened! I've never had this issue before, I really am not sure why the pasta wouldn't cook. A few things that might help—if reducing the recipe, the liquid ratio and baking time may need slight adjustments, and using a smaller dish can impact how the pasta cooks. Also, making sure to cover the dish tightly with foil during baking helps trap steam for even cooking. I truly appreciate your feedback and would love to help troubleshoot!
Christine says
cannot print!!??
Sarah Holt says
Hi Christine, so sorry about that. I just fixed something and you should be able to print now. Please try again and let me know if you still have issues.
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!