Triple Cheese Spinach Penne Bake
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 and spinach in a rich marinara sauce layered with melty mozzarella and our savory Italian cheese blend. In the oven, the ingredients bubble together and the flavors meld into savory dinner perfection. You’ll whisk it to the table—with toppings of buttery toasted panko, Parmesan, and chili flakes—and serve it straight from the dish for maximum cheese pull and rounds of oohs and aahs!
Ingredients
5 ounce
Spinach
12 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
27.52 ounce
Crushed Tomatoes
4 unit
Veggie Stock Concentrate
2 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
2 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 cup
Italian Cheese Blend
(Contains: Milk)
2 tablespoon
Garlic Herb Butter
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nonstick Cooking Spray
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Roughly chop spinach.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost al dente, 8 minutes. (For 8 servings, divide between two large pots or cook in batches.) • Stir spinach into pot and continue to cook until spinach is wilted and pasta is al dente, 1-2 minutes more. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain. • While pasta cooks, coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (9-by-13-inch baking dish for 8) with nonstick cooking spray.
• Heat pot used for pasta and spinach over medium-high heat. Add crushed tomatoes, stock concentrates, Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, and 2 TBSP plain butter (½ cup pasta cooking water and 4 TBSP plain butter for 8 servings). Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and everything is thoroughly combined, 1-2 minutes. • Remove from heat and add drained penne and spinach, mozzarella, and Italian cheese blend; stir until everything is coated in sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish. Coat a large piece of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray; cover baking dish with foil, coated side down. • Bake on top rack until sauce is bubbling, 13-15 minutes. TIP: Careful when lifting the foil to check on the penne bake—steam may escape!
• Meanwhile, melt garlic herb butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add panko and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. • Transfer garlic herb panko to a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve.
• When penne bake is done baking, let cool for 5 minutes. • Top with garlic herb panko, Parmesan, and as many chili flakes as you like. Divide between plates or serve family style directly from baking dish.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the dish, though some found it bland; adding extra garlic, herbs, or Italian sausage boosted flavor 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Simple to make, but a few found instructions confusing; consider clarifying spinach and pasta water steps.
- Suggestions: Try adding ground turkey, pork, or Italian sausage for protein; blend tomatoes for picky eaters.
- Portions: Generous servings provide plenty of leftovers; great for meal prep or feeding a crowd 🎉.
- Texture: Some found it dry; consider using more pasta water or sauce for a creamier consistency.
- Reheating: Mixed experiences; some loved leftovers, while others found reheating challenging.
Reviews from our home cooks
The instructions were slightly confusing. Step 2 is named (pasta & spinach) with the picture showing the pasta and spinach together in a colander, however the instructions in that step only mention the pasta. Step 3 indicates to cook/add the spinach, so the instructions were confusing but the meal was excellent.
Tastes amazing, pretty easy to make, but the portions are huge, we have sooo much left overs, which isn't horrible but hard with a small fridge.
Great flavor, but that includes the crumbled Italian sausage I added to the recipe. I see an upcoming recipe makes a similar addition to the base penne recipe. Any reason this couldn't be made as a standard sized meal-for-2 selection?
Love the double portion option! Get to have some leftovers for lunch. I didn't bother chopping up the spinach so I needed no prep for this. My partner absolutely loved this meal, he said it tasted like pizza!
This recipe is great! I like the Big Batch pasta recipes because I can cook and freeze them. On busy days, I can thaw, reheat them, and have a quick supper. Thanks Helli Fresh!
Holy crud was this a lot of food! Unfortunately I saw the "save 1 cup of pasta water" (which i always forget to do) and missed reading that I only needed to add 1/4 cup of it to the pasta. Caused my pasta to get soggy in the oven, but the flavor was great.
Filling, hearty, and tasty! So easy to make and the leftovers were delicious, as well. I'm impressed with the quality of the ingredients!
This was so filling and hearty with all the cheese that it wasn't really noticable that it didn't have meat. A fantastic dish that I'm looking forward to having leftovers of!
It says to reserve 1 cup pasta water. Yet it only mentions using 1/4 cup of it. Even after using 1/2 cup it never got bubbly and was somewhat dry. Directions should say to use more or tell you where to add more to get the necessary consistency. Otherwise delicious flavors.
Oh my Goodness. This was most definitely a lot of food. No lie could have fed like at least 10 adults. Absolutely amazing. Nothing bad to say about this meal
