Cheap and Easy Baked Penne Pasta Recipe

If you are cooking for a crowd, this cheap and easy Baked Penne Pasta recipe is exactly what you need. This recipe serves roughly eight people, add in a tossed salad, breadsticks or garlic toast and you've got a really nice meal. If you need to stretch things a little further, consider serving a fun soup ahead of time, like french onion soup with some french bread to feed those hungry guests.

In my area, I calculated that this entire 9 x 13 pan of Baked Penne Pasta costs under $10, it may be a little more in your area or a little less. But, that works out to $1.25 per serving!

If you want to save even more money, consider using 1/2 lb of ground beef or no meat at all.

Make it vegetarian by not using meat and adding in some chopped mushrooms, green peppers and onions.

• 1 lb (16 oz) pkg penne pasta
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
• 18 oz water (1 and 1/2 cans of water using tomato paste can)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 7 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to instructions, takes about 10 minutes to cook pasta once water is boiling.
2. Meanwhile, brown ground beef well.
3. Add garlic, 1 can tomato paste, thyme, oregano, garlic and basil, plus water (1 1/2 tomato paste cans - 18 oz) to meat and stir well.
4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
5. Put cooked drained pasta in large casserole dish with ricotta cheese mixed in and then add meat sauce on top, mixing just slightly to get some of the sauce mixed around but not so much that it turns pink (ricotta + red sauce = pink).
6. Bake for 10 minutes covered, then add fresh grated parmesan cheese and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.