If you’re looking for the perfect recipe to add to your weekly meal prep routine, then look no further because this is it! This is my Easy Baked Penne with Meatballs – a delicious, simple pasta recipe that yields 4 days of lunches or dinners in less than an hour. Plus, no need to boil the pasta ahead of time or dirty up a ton of dishes – this recipe can be made right within your glass meal prep containers, saving you time and energy on the cleanup!
Friends, as someone who spends all day making recipes from scratch, sometimes, the last thing that I want to do at the end of the day is cook yet ANOTHER meal: dinner. Sure, takeout is always an option, but Doordashing dinner multiple nights a week is not only inconvenient, but also expensive. So, one thing that I try to do every weekend is meal prep a few different recipes that I can reheat and eat throughout the week. And one of my favorite meal prep recipes as of lately? It’s none other than this Easy Baked Penne with Meatballs.
In my opinion, pasta is truly the ultimate meal prep food. Why? Well, for starters, it’s loaded with flavor that only gets better with time. The combination of tender noodles, a creamy sauce, and protein can help you hit your macro-nutrient needs. And, pasta can easily be made to fit any diet! If you’re gluten-free, you can swap out the noodles for a gluten-free option. If you’re vegan, just swap the cheese for a dairy-free alternative and the protein to tofu, tempeh, or meatless crumbles. This recipe is SO easy to customize and the opportunities are truly endless.
Plus, this recipe can save you time and energy on the cleanup, because it can be made right inside of your glass meal prep containers! How easy is that? Of course, you can also use a 9×13 baking dish in order to make one big batch (and then evenly distribute it into containers). But I like to make this recipe right in the containers themselves. My Zwilling Glass Storage Containers are my absolute favorite, and truly keep food tasting fresher for longer!
What You Need to Make This Simple & Easy Pasta Bake
- Penne Pasta: Penne pasta is my favorite to use for this recipe, and you could easily use gluten-free pasta instead! My favorite gluten-free penne is by Jovial Foods.
- Crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes: Crushed, canned, fire roasted tomatoes add the best flavor to this pasta. Plus, they’re so much easier to use than fresh tomatoes!
- Non-Dairy Milk: Pick your favorite non-dairy milk and use it in this recipe. Any of them work well!
- Olive Oil: To cook this pasta dish, I like to choose a better-for-you oil such as olive oil.
- Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic cloves whenever possible, and this recipe is no exception!
- Seasonings: To season this dish, you’ll need a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt. Yum!
- Meatballs: Prepare your favorite meatballs ahead of time and add them to this recipe! You can also swap the meatballs out for your favorite protein, such as cooked, shredded chicken.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano truly adds the most delicious flavor to this pasta dish, WAY better than your pre-shredded parmesan cheese. If there’s one ingredient that’s worth the splurge, it’s this one!
How to Make 4 Servings of This Perfect Meal-Prep Pasta
To make this pasta bake, start by preheating your oven to 400 F. Next, add the dry pasta, crushed fire roasted tomatoes, non-dairy milk, olive oil, mashed garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt to a 9×13 baking dish. Mix to fully combine. If you want to use glass meal-prep containers instead, divide the mixture evenly amongst the four containers.
Then, add in the meatballs or protein of choice. Transfer the baking dish or glass containers to the oven and allow them to bake for 35-40 minutes. Then, turn on the broiler and broil them for another 3-4 minutes to brown.
Once they’re done, remove them from the oven and stir everything together. Garnish with a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, then serve and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim
Equipment
- 1 9×13 Baking Dish A high-quality baking dish is essential to any kitchen!
- 4 Glass Meal Prep Containers These containers by Zwilling are my absolute favorite!
Ingredients
- 12 Ounces Penne Pasta
- 1 28 Ounce Can Crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 3 Cups Non-Dairy Milk
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic, mashed
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 12 Meatballs, cooked or uncooked; you can also use cooked shredded chicken or another protein of choice
- ½ Cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Instructions
- To make this pasta bake, start by preheating your oven to 400 F.
- Next, add the dry pasta, crushed fire roasted tomatoes, non-dairy milk, olive oil, mashed garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt to a 9×13 baking dish. Mix to fully combine. If you want to use glass meal-prep containers instead, divide the mixture evenly amongst the four containers.
- Then, add in the meatballs or protein of choice.
- Transfer the baking dish or glass containers to the oven and allow them to bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Then, turn on the broiler and broil them for another 3-4 minutes to brown.
- Once they're done, remove them from the oven and stir everything together.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, then serve and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
This was soo satisfying and delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sarah! Thank you!
anything involving meatballs – sign me up
Didn’t realize this would make soup. Great if you want soup. Proportions are way off for a baked casserole dish
I’m sorry to hear that, Deborah!
I agree with the latest comment. Proportions are way off. Three cups of milk is far too much, and the seasoning amounts are far too little. I did make this dish a second time with two cups of milk, and about 2.5 times as much seasoning than what is called for (or the “eyeball” method), and it turned out very nicely!
Is there a reason for non dairy milk? I’
Hi Shona, I prefer to work with non-dairy milk, so that’s what this recipe was tested with. However, dairy milk also works well!