Confession time: I hate boiling pasta.
I know, I know. It’s such a basic cooking skill and such an odd thing to hate! But, I always feel like I’m wasting time hanging around waiting for the water to boil. It drives me nuts.
The kids have been super into pasta lately, so I’ve been playing with recipes that don’t require boiling the pasta ahead of time – and this dump and bake pasta was a clear winner.
There’s just enough liquid in this to perfectly cook the pasta and leave behind a creamy, cheesy sauce.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. ground Italian chicken sausage, browned
- 1 1/2 cups alfredo sauce
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 8 oz. penne, uncooked
- 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella
- Fresh basil, julienned
To speed up the prep, I like to cook the sausage ahead of time. If you’ve cooked it ahead, no need to reheat before adding it – it’ll warm up fine when you bake it.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8×8″ pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together chicken sausage, alfredo sauce, chicken broth, garlic, tomatoes, and spinach. Stir in penne.
- Pour into the prepared pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Stir halfway through.
- Uncover and check that the pasta is al dente. If it’s not, return the cover and bake for another 10 minutes. If it’s al dente, sprinkle Parmesan and mozzarella over the top and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Top with basil and serve.
Other pastas we love for weeknights
Pasta is always a hit with the kids so it’s in regular rotation around here! We love Chicken Alfredo Ravioli, Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta, and Spinach Artichoke Baked Ravioli are great – and as a bonus, make-ahead friendly too!
Pasta skillets are also perfect for weeknights – Spicy Sausage Pasta is a favorite of me & Mark. Everyone in the family is a fan of Skillet BBQ Chicken Pasta.
Recipe
Creamy Alfredo Dump & Bake Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. ground Italian chicken sausage, browned
- 1 1/2 cups alfredo sauce
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 8 oz. penne, uncooked
- 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella
- Fresh basil, julienned
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8x8" pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together chicken sausage, alfredo sauce, chicken broth, garlic, tomatoes, and spinach. Stir in penne.
- Pour into the prepared pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Stir halfway through.
- Uncover and check that the pasta is al dente. If it's not, return the cover and bake for another 10 minutes. If it's al dente, sprinkle Parmesan and mozzarella over the top and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Top with basil and serve.
