Three-Cheese Baked Penne

17 Reviews
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Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
By Risë Minton
May 2008
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

Make a baked pasta dish  that's sure to satisfy the hunger of friends and family alike. Baked Italian recipes are great for hearty one-dish dinners or on-the-go casserole deliveries to new moms or ailing friends.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne (about 8 ounces tube-shaped pasta)
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage
  • 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 (8-ounce) can garlic-and-herb tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 326
  • Caloriesfromfat 30%
  • Fat 10.9g
  • Satfat 5.8g
  • Monofat 2.9g
  • Polyfat 1g
  • Protein 20.8g
  • Carbohydrate 38.9g
  • Fiber 4.9g
  • Cholesterol 47mg
  • Iron 3mg
  • Sodium 641mg
  • Calcium 211mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 2

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

Step 3

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper and next 6 ingredients (through salt) to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until bell pepper is tender. Stir in tomato sauce. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add pasta to pan, tossing gently to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Stir in mozzarella and goat cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned.

Step 4

Wine note: I find whole wheat pasta often tastes best with red wine, which underscores the earthiness of the hearty pasta. And, of course, red wine and sausage is a match made in heaven. Try a Tuscan red: Villa Antinori Toscana. It's a little richer and fuller than Chianti; the 2004 is $ —Karen MacNeil

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Ratings & Reviews

Delicious but reduce pasta amount

nyca5124
October 26, 2015
This is an excellent dish with unusually good flavor.  However, I used just five ounces of pasta total. It served three people for dinner, with some left over for lunch. If you used the full amount of pasta, you'd need to practically double the sauce.

KathyinManvel's Review

spenderluke
January 13, 2013
This has a nice combination of ingredients but is not anything studpendous. Just, a "good, solid, recipe".

spenderluke's Review

sml1979
October 31, 2012
This is an awsome easy dish that everyone enjoys. I take this to potlucks and it is always a hit with the group. I have used different cheeses to change things up a bit but it is always tasty.

Caitlin1129's Review

lalala59
October 05, 2012
My husband and I love this recipe. We like it with the goat cheese, but I have subsituted feta cheese for dinner parties when someone isnt a fan. Easy week night meal!

JessEarley's Review

DanaSprunger87
February 24, 2012
I used slightly more red pepper flakes and a can of whole peeled tomato because that is what I had on hand and it was amazing. Next time I host people this will be what I serve!

lalala59's Review

JPrice125
January 29, 2012
This is on my CL all-star list, I've made it at least a dozen times since it came out in 2008. I've even made it with chicken sausage (although the turkey sausage is my favorite). It works well for a big crowd - the goat cheese makes it taste luxurious but the ingredients are actually pretty inexpensive. If you're going to serve more than 6, you definitely need to double. It can be made in advance - just put everything in the dish, cover with plastic wrap, and bake before the meal! Allot a little more time to bake as everything will be cold so it will take longer to warm up.

DanaSprunger87's Review

JessEarley
January 23, 2012
This is one of my favorite pasta recipes. I only used half of the goat cheese since it was expensive and used 1/4 cup cheddar cheese instead. This is very good leftover too.

nevacation's Review

Denise482
March 08, 2011
I thought this was delicious! I agree the goat cheese really gave it a nice touch.I also decreased the amount of red pepper by half. I doubled the whole recipe b/c that would not feed my whole family. I also omitted the green pepper (not a fan) and left out the tomatoes. I also used hot turkey sausage.

sukeedog's Review

sukeedog
February 25, 2011
This is truly fantastic - way beyond what I expected. I think the goat cheese cheese is what sets it apart from similar casserole recipes. We also used hot Italian turkey sausage instead of sweet, which probably kicked up the flavor a bit. The leftovers were great, too.

sml1979's Review

Caitlin1129
December 30, 2010
This was a great recipe! I think it tasted a lot like pizza which is my favorite food :) I agree that it was a bit spicy and I'd reduce the red pepper next time since my boyfriend isn't the biggest fan of spicy foods. It's quick, easy and great for a weeknight meal with a Caesar salad.