Beef & Zucchini Baked Penne
2x the delicious servings!
- Wheat
- Milk
Who doesn’t daydream about cheesy baked pasta? Luckily, this big batch crowd-pleaser will make those dreams come true for the whole crew. In it, you’ll find penne, zucchini, and savory ground beef in a rich marinara sauce layered with herby, creamy ricotta. To top things off, there’s a melty blanket of mozzarella and a sprinkle of chili flakes. Serve it right from the dish for maximum cheese pull potential and lots of oohs and aahs! This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively.
Ingredients
1 unit
Zucchini
12 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
20 ounce
Ground Beef
2 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
2 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 unit
Tomato Paste
3 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
8 ounce
Ricotta Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
14 ounce
Marinara Cup
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to middle position (top and middle positions for 8 servings) and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (TIP: Start with hot tap water for faster boiling.) Wash and dry produce. • Trim and quarter zucchini lengthwise; slice crosswise into ¼-inch-thick quarter-moons.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 8 servings), then drain. Keep empty pot handy for Step 4.
• While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beef*, zucchini, Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, a big pinch of salt, and pepper. • Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until zucchini is tender and beef is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. (For 8 servings, work in batches, adding a drizzle of oil between batches.) • Remove pan from heat. TIP: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out.
• Transfer beef mixture to pot used for pasta; add marinara, tomato paste, stock concentrates, and ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (1 cup for 8 servings). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. TIP: If sauce is too thick, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time. • Turn off heat; add drained penne to pot with sauce and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
• Transfer pasta to a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish (use 2 lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dishes for 8 servings). Carefully dollop ricotta all over pasta and top with mozzarella. • Bake, uncovered, on middle rack until cheese is melted, 10-12 minutes (for 8 servings, bake on top and middle racks, switching rack positions halfway through). • Increase oven temperature to broil; bake until cheese is browned, 2-3 minutes more. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning.
• Let baked penne cool for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with as many chili flakes as you like. Serve family style.
Ground beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the taste, though some found it bland; adding extra herbs, garlic, or sauce boosted flavor 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Simple to make and family-friendly; great for meal prep with plenty of leftovers.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more vegetables like onions or mushrooms; increase sauce for moisture and flavor.
- Portions: Generous servings perfect for families or meal prep; some found it made too much for smaller households.
- Texture: A few noted it was dry; adding extra marinara or pasta water helped improve moisture.
Reviews from our home cooks
Amazing wonderful meal! Hands down one of the best and zucchini is a wonderful hidden veggie I never knew I needed. Please keep this going with the big batch option. Lasted so long and was soooo good. Best meal ever!
Fantastic! Will definitely order again. Simple but hearty dish and all of the zucchini was fresh and the ingredients were very good quality and taste!
Loved this! I added some of our own zucchini, a second package of ground beef, and only used half the pasta. I made 6 meals from this bag!
Full of flavor! A good combination with the ricotta dollops, zucchini, and tomato sauce! Enough left for two more meals!
The amount of food was great! Definitely got at least 2x the amount of food. However, I think they could have added another zucchini and another thing of marinara at least. I thought that there was a lack of zucchini especially since it cooks down.
The card needs to list the number of ingredients you should have, 4 packs of garlic powder, 2 packs of... And so on. I had ground beef for burgers and wasn't sure how many was needed for this vs that recipe and had to look on the app. Also, only two zucchini isn't enough, needs 4, unless I was supposed to have 4, I wouldn't know since it wasn't on the card.
I loved this, not only because it was good, but because it gave me three dinners for two people. I added a diced onion and another zucchini and a chopped fresh tomato.
I love that I got 2 full meals out of this family style recipe. I made one casserole for dinner the same night and stored the second one in the fridge for the following week. Perfect for our super busy weeknight
They really do mean extra servings. Made 2 9x13 pans- enough for 2 meals which is great for later nights after school activities to 'keep one + freeze one'
Very good! If I get it again, I'd add an onion and sauté the tomato paste with the beef and zucchini before adding to the sauce step. Really tasty!
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