Baked Penne Arrabbiata Italian (Printable Version)

Spicy penne pasta layered with arrabbiata sauce and cheeses, baked until golden and bubbling.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne pasta

→ Sauce

02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
04 - 1 to 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
05 - 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
06 - 1 tsp sugar
07 - 1 tsp dried oregano
08 - ½ tsp salt
09 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped (reserve some for garnish)

→ Cheese

11 - ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 - 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a large baking dish.
02 - Boil penne in salted water until just al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
04 - Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in chopped basil.
06 - Toss drained penne with the sauce until evenly coated.
07 - Place half the pasta mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Repeat layering with remaining pasta and cheeses.
08 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until cheese melts, turns golden, and sauce bubbles.
09 - Allow to rest 5 minutes. Garnish with reserved basil and serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The heat builds gradually, so even if you're spice-shy, you can dial it back and still get all the flavor.
  • Everything comes together in about 50 minutes, which means you can go from bare kitchen to dinner on the table before anyone gets too hungry.
  • Baking it means the pasta soaks up all that sauce instead of sitting dry on the plate.
02 -
  • Undercooking the pasta in the boiling water is non-negotiable—it keeps it from turning to mush in the oven when it absorbs all that sauce.
  • If your sauce tastes thin after simmering, you might have extra-juicy tomatoes, and that's okay; just give it another few minutes or pour off some of the liquid before mixing in the pasta.
  • The cheese needs to actually bubble around the edges to know it's done—if the top looks melted but the sauce underneath isn't moving, give it another couple minutes.
03 -
  • If your baking dish is smaller than expected and the pasta piles too high, it will cook unevenly—use a bigger dish or make two smaller ones instead.
  • Tasting the sauce before you mix it in with the pasta gives you one last chance to adjust the seasoning, which is so much easier than trying to fix it after everything's combined.
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