Baked Penne
A comforting vegetarian built around uncooked penne pasta, ricotta cheese and grated parmesan cheese — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and pan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegetarian — no meat or fish, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Gluten Dairy Egg
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 190 C (375 F) and butter a medium baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne 2 minutes short of the package time so it stays firm, since it will finish cooking in the oven, then drain and reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat, add the minced garlic and cook gently for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs until smooth, then stir in the ricotta, half of the parmesan, half of the mozzarella, the garlic butter, the black pepper and salt to taste until evenly combined.
- Fold the drained penne into the ricotta mixture, loosening it with a splash of the reserved pasta water so every piece is coated.
- Transfer the pasta to the baking dish, scatter the remaining parmesan and mozzarella over the top and dot with a little extra butter.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is set, bubbling and lightly golden, then let it rest for 5 minutes before serving so it firms up and the eggs are fully cooked through.
You'll use: Oven · Pan · Large pot · Saucepan · Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Ricotta
- cottage cheese (blended) · mashed silken tofu
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Parmesan
- pecorino · grana padano · aged asiago
Tips & common questions
How long does Baked Penne take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of ricotta?
Try cottage cheese (blended). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Baked Penne vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat, fish or shellfish, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheese for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Baked Penne is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: Penne rigate 3878.jpg by Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.