This is a family favorite recipe that works well for just a family night meal, with salad and bread, or as a first course for your next dinner party. It does have a couple of sauces, but if you already have marinara, the bescimella only takes a few minutes and is easily made while waiting for the pasta water to boil. It is totally fine to substitute store bought marinara, just try to find one that is simple and basic without extra flavors or ingredients. See links for besciamella and marinara sauce below.
For a full Italian dinner starting with this dish, consider the following:
Baked Penne with Marinara and Besciamella
An easy to make first course that works for a variety of short pasta.
Ingredients
- 16 oz penne or rigatoni or rotini
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- ½ cup besciamela sauce
- 1½ cups mozzerella shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated (optional)
Instructions
- Boil water in a large saucepan and cook pasta until just al dente. Drain and return to pot.
- In a separate bowl, mix marinara, besciamela, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour mixture over the drained pasta and mix well.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and then top with Parmesan, if desired.
- Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly. If the cheese on top is not browned, you can turn on the broiler for just a minute until it browns slightly.
Notes
You can use any short pasta that is a favorite. I didn’t list mostaccioli, but obviously that will work too.Â
This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta and gluten-free flour in the besciamela sauce.
You can also vary the amount of cheese you use.Â
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 14gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 475mgPotassium: 327mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 432IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 164mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!