No-Boil Baked Penne Pasta & Meatballs

5 from 1 vote

No-Boil Baked Penne Pasta & Meatballs

Your search for an easy weeknight dinner ends with this no-boil baked penne pasta with meatballs. There's no need to cook the pasta first– just combine the ingredients in a baking dish, give it a stir, and let the oven do the rest. In 40 minutes, you’ll have a creamy, flavorful pasta dish that the whole family will love!

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Total Time40

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 568kcal

Author: Christina

Ingredients

1 pound penne pasta
1 (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
1 pound mini meatballs beef, turkey, or chicken
1 clove garlic
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups whole milk
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
To a 9x13-inch baking dish, add the pasta, tomato sauce, meatballs, garlic, butter, salt, pepper, onion powder, and dried oregano. Stir together. Pour the milk and chicken broth over top, submerging the pasta.
Cover tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake for 35-38 minutes or until pasta is cooked through. Carefully remove the foil, there will be hot steam. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
Let rest for 3-5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Serve warm. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: The baked pasta can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Pasta: I recommend using short pasta like penne, rigatoni, or fusilli.
Meatballs: This recipe works best with meatballs that are on the smaller size so they cook quickly. You can use store-bought meatballs or homemade meatballs.
Milk: Using whole milk will make it the creamiest, but you can use a lower fat milk too.

Nutrition