Baked Penne Pasta with Bechamel and Meat Sauce

What kitchen equipment and utensils do you need to make this easy recipe?

This great recipe is made in steps, so you will need a few pots and pans and other utensils, but nothing about this recipe is difficult, so don’t be discouraged by a few extra pans to wash.

• a large dutch oven or saucepan
• a large nonstick pan or skillet
• a large pot for boiling pasta water
• a small pot for heating the milk
• a 9×13-inch baking dish or casserole dish to bake the baked penne in
• a pasta strainer
• a cutting board
• a sharp knife
• a small stand mixer (optional)

Ingredients you will need to make baked penne pasta

The ingredients for this dish are all easily found in a normal supermarket, so print out the list and get shopping to make your family a delicious Italian dish that is one of our favorite recipes.

• Penne pasta (1lb) – this dish calls for penne pasta (we prefer the ridged kind but smooth will work as well), but really any type of short pasta will work, for example, macaroni or rigatoni. Be sure to boil them in salted water but remove the pasta several minutes before it is al dente by removing several minutes from the cooking time indicated in the package directions so that the pasta finishes cooking while being baked in the oven.
• Ground beef (12 oz) – we love a good ragu sauce, but that doesn’t mean we are purists. You can certainly substitute lean ground beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage, or even go vegetarian by substituting the same amount of minced raw vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, and celery in your tomato sauce.
•  Crushed tomatoes (14-oz can) – be sure that your tomatoes are crushed. If they come whole, you will want to cut them up before adding them. Other canned tomatoes will also work. This is not really a marinara sauce, but if you prefer a smooth sauce you can substitute it with tomato puree.
•  Extra virgin olive oil (4 tbsp) – a mild-flavored extra virgin olive oil is the best choice for this dish, as there are so many other flavors that you won’t really taste the oil.
• Onion (1) – any type of onion will work just fine in this recipe, be sure to mince well so you don’t have any onion chunks in the finished dish (especially if you have picky eaters coming for dinner).
• Dry white wine (1/4 cup) – this step of adding wine really helps mellow the meat sauce flavor, but you can add water instead if you don’t have it.
• Kosher salt – you will need both coarse salt for the pasta water and fine salt for seasoning the dish.
• Black pepper – we are partial to freshly ground pepper, but no worries if you don’t have it, any kind of pepper will do.
• Unsalted butter (5 tbsp) – most butter in Italian grocery stores is without salt, so most Italian recipes call for unsalted butter, but if you use salted butter you can just add slightly less salt later in the recipe.
• All-purpose flour (5 tbsp) – you just need a little to thicken the white sauce.
• Parmigiano Reggiano (3/4 cup) – the perfect cheese for sprinkling on top, Parmigiano Reggiano makes this delicious recipe really pop, but if you don’t have it you can use grated Parmesan, Grana Padano, or even mozzarella if you prefer (see more about mozzarella later).
• Milk (4 1/2 cups) – you can use whole milk, but reduced-fat milk is fine to use as well, although you might adjust by adding slightly more flour so that it thickens correctly.
• Mozzarella (optional) – although not in the original recipe, many people love adding shredded mozzarella, either as a layer or on top. Be careful to remove any excess water from the mozzarella before using it in this recipe.
• Basil or Parsley or Red Pepper Flakes (optional) – although these are all optional, you can certainly add some fresh basil, fresh parsley, or red pepper flakes to your marinara sauce if those are Italian spices that you like.

How to make easy baked penne pasta step by step

This recipe for baked penne does have many steps, but they are all very straightforward. Keep reading to learn how to make this baked penne like a pro.

Make the ragu sauce. To make the meat sauce, first heat the oil in a deep saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and cook until they soften (photo 1).

Other pasta recipes to try out:

• Penne all’Arrabbiata Recipe
• Penne alla Vodka
• Penne Pasta Recipe with Campagnola Sauce
• Penne alla Calabrese
• Cheesy Italian Pastina
• Pasta alla Norma

Expert tips for making bechamel white sauce the Italian way

Making a bechamel can be daunting at first because there is a risk that it will come out lumpy or too thin. With just a few extra expert tips, you can gain confidence and make a thick, creamy white sauce you will love.

First, be sure to melt the butter over low heat and whisk continuously as you add the flour. The flour needs to cook, so be sure to keep it over low heat for a few minutes but do not let it brown!

Then, be sure to warm the milk before using it. When you add the hot milk you will need to pour it very slowly at first and again here you will need to whisk continuously.

Many people stop cooking the sauce when it is still runny, but if you cook for 12-15 minutes you will end up with a better thickness and texture. You will know it is ready when it begins to stick to the whisk in a nice thick coat. One last tip, add a dash of nutmeg for a truly Italian flavor.

Variations to the baked penne pasta

• Switch out the white sauce with various substitutions in this baked penne recipe. For example, you can leave out the white sauce and instead add ricotta cheese or even cream cheese. We have seen recipes that even call for sour cream, creme fraiche or cottage cheese, but we really don’t recommend any of them as they would alter the flavor too much. Or, if you love mozzarella, you could leave out the bechamel and instead add a generous layer of shredded mozzarella in the middle of two layers of pasta and then more cheese again on top.
• Substitute mild Italian sausage for the ground beef, but others are looking for a vegetarian option. So if you want to skip the meat ragu sauce, this is not a problem! Simply make the sauce vegetarian by leaving out the meat and instead add veggies such as zucchini, carrots, and celery.
• Throw in bell peppers and garlic if that sounds yummy. You will start by finely chopping the veggies, either by hand or with a small stand mixer, and then adding them to the sauce recipe instead of the meat during the same step in the recipe. You should use roughly the same amount of veggies as you would have meat, so 12 oz cleaned, peeled, and finely chopped.