Easy Baked Penne with Sausage

This easy baked penne with sausage recipe has marinara sauce, flavorful Italian sausage, and lots of parmesan and mozzarella cheese. It's low on effort and big on flavor!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked penne pasta
• 16 ounces Italian sausage (see note)
• 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
2. 2Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it for 2 minutes less than the package directions indicate. Once it's done, drain it and add it to a 9x13 baking dish.
3. 3Meanwhile, add the sausage and onion to a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage has browned (about 8-10 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
4. 4Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
5. 5Add in the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and cook for a couple more minutes until it's warmed through.
6. 6Pour the sausage mixture into the baking dish. I add in some salt & pepper as well. Toss until everything is coated. Smooth it out into an even layer.
7. 7Top with the cheeses and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese (watch it carefully). Serve immediately.