Three Cheese Baked Penne
This Three Cheese Baked Penne is creamy, comforting, and packed with fresh flavor. Tender penne is tossed in a rich ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cream sauce, then baked until golden and bubbly. Sweet roasted cherry tomatoes, fragrant basil, and softened fennel add brightness and depth to every cheesy bite.
Looking for another easy dinner that will make you look like a star in the kitchen? You have to try this Roasted Chicken and Gravy recipe! Your family is going to love it, I just know it!
This recipe has all the cheesiness you could imagine, yet the fennel and fresh tomatoes add so much color and flavor to the dish!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Super cheesy goodness
- The fennel adds great flavor to the dish
- Simple to prepare and cook
- You can substitute a different pasta if you like
- Easy to store and reheat the leftovers for a quick lunch!
Helpful Items For This Recipe
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you.
Oval Casserole Dish, 12″ x 8″ Ceramic Au gratin Baking Dish
2PCS Large Natural Acacia Wood Cooking Spoons, Serving Spoons
Easy Baked Penne Ingredients
You can up the spice in this baked pasta dish by adding a few red pepper flakes to either the sauce or when finishing. Don’t add too much to distract from all the other lovely ingredients, just a pinch.
Ingredients
Fennel bulbs – Fennel is used as a vegetable and resembles celery in texture. It has an anise, or black licorice, flavor that mellows and sweetens when boiled or cooked. The entire plant is edible, but for this recipe, use the bulbous portion. The recipe suggests boiling the fennel for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender but not mushy; if you like it a little crunchier, boil it for less time.
Penne pasta – Penne pasta is the perfect size in ratio to the fennel and half tomatoes. Other pasta varieties could be used instead, such as fusilli, farfalle, and fettuccine.
Sea salt – This is an important ingredient for flavoring the pasta and the fennel while boiling. Don’t leave it out.
Butter – It adds not only flavor but also enhances the smoothness of the three-cheese sauce.
Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves are best for flavor. Use them minced or crushed.
Heavy cream – It enhances the creaminess of the three-cheese sauce. Allowing it to simmer until it coats the back of a spoon thickens the sauce to the perfect consistency before adding the cheese.
Part-skim ricotta – Ricotta cheese adds a lighter texture to the cheese sauce—a perfect addition to a summer meal.
Parmesan, freshly grated – When freshly grated, Parmesan adds a wonderful pop of Italian flavor to this dish. Be sure to reserve a quarter cup of this cheese for the top of the dish before baking and use it as a garnish before serving.
Mozzarella, freshly grated – Buy the block cheese and not the fresh mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella will not be melty in the sauce. The block cheese is essential for this recipe.
Fresh basil, chopped – Roughly chop the basil leaves before adding them to the pasta and cheese sauce. Add a few small basil leaves to the top of the dish after baking as a garnish.
Cherry tomatoes, halved – They add a wonderful flavor when roasted in this pasta dish. They also add a beautiful color, especially when several are strategically placed on top of the dish before baking.
How To Make Easy Baked Penne Pasta
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a 9×11-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
Prepare the fennel by cutting off the top shoots and stalks, as well as the bottom root section. Wash and cut into sixths (top to bottom). Set aside.
Fill a large pot with 5 quarts of water. Bring it to a boil and add 2 Tablespoons of sea salt. Pour in the pasta and then add the fennel pieces. Stir occasionally to keep pasta from sticking to the bottom.
Boil both the pasta and the fennel for 5-8 minutes. Remove the fennel when it is tender and not mushy. Allow it to cool on a cutting board.
Continue boiling the pasta until it reaches al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than the package indicates, for an approximate total of 10-11 minutes.
When the pasta reaches al dente, remove 1 cup of the pasta/fennel water. Then drain the pasta, do not rinse, and set it aside.
In the meantime, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet. Add garlic and cook for a maximum of a minute, watching that it does not burn.
Immediately add the cream and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Add all of the ricotta, all but ¼ cup of the grated parmesan, and all but ½ cup of the grated mozzarella.
Set the reserved cheese aside to top the pasta before baking. Stir the mixture until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pasta.
Slice each fennel piece in half (side to side) and into 2-3 slices, top to bottom, until they are bite-sized. Cut the tomatoes in half and roughly chop the fresh basil.
Carefully fold all of the basil and fennel, plus two-thirds of the tomatoes, into the pasta. Pour it all into the baking dish.
Arrange the remaining tomatoes on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with a fourth cup of the Parmesan and a half cup of the mozzarella.
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with small basil leaves and freshly grated Parmesan, and serve immediately.
Little Chef’s Secrets
- Can I eat this warm or cold? For the best presentation of melted cheese, serve this dish immediately after removing it from the oven.
- What is the texture of the cheese sauce? If warm, the cheese sauce will be melty and smooth.
- How do I know when the dish is done? It is done when the cheese is melty, and the tips of the pasta and cheese are starting to brown and get slightly crispy.
- Can I make this in a rectangular pan instead of an oval? Yes. The pasta dish will bake perfectly in any dish shape. It will also bake well in a glass dish rather than a metal one.
- What is fennel? It is a bulbous perennial herb with feathery leaves. The texture resembles celery. It has a distinct anise flavor that mellows and sweetens as it is boiled and cooked. The bulbs are used as a vegetable.
- What is al dente? When the pasta has a tender exterior, yet the center still has a firm bite. It is the target for the pasta, as it will continue to cook a little while it is baking. If al dente, the pasta will not get mushy. It will still be firm, yet tender.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Three Cheese Baked Penne Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a 9×11-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Prepare the fennel by cutting off the top shoots and stalks, as well as the bottom root section. Wash and cut into sixths (top to bottom). Set aside.
- Fill a large pot with 5 quarts of water. Bring it to a boil and add 2 Tablespoons of sea salt. Pour in the pasta and then add the fennel pieces. Stir occasionally to keep pasta from sticking to the bottom.
- Boil both the pasta and the fennel for 5-8 minutes. Remove the fennel when it is tender and not mushy. Allow it to cool on a cutting board. Continue boiling the pasta until it reaches al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than the package indicates, for an approximate total of 10-11 minutes.
- When the pasta reaches al dente, remove 1 cup of the pasta/fennel water. Then drain the pasta, do not rinse, and set it aside.
- In the meantime, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet. Add garlic and cook for a maximum of a minute, watching that it does not burn. Immediately add the cream and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Add all of the ricotta, all but ¼ cup of the grated parmesan, and all but ½ cup of the grated mozzarella. Set the reserved cheese aside to top the pasta before baking. Stir the mixture until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pasta.
- Slice each fennel piece in half (side to side) and into 2-3 slices, top to bottom, until they are bite-sized. Cut the tomatoes in half and roughly chop the fresh basil.
- Carefully fold all of the basil and fennel, plus two-thirds of the tomatoes, into the pasta. Pour it all into the baking dish. Arrange the remaining tomatoes on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with a fourth cup of the Parmesan and a half cup of the mozzarella.
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with small basil leaves and freshly grated Parmesan, and serve immediately.
