Gluten Free Baked Penne
Add a touch of comfort to your week with our Gluten-Free Baked Penne.
This recipe combines lean ground beef and sweet Italian sausage with gluten-free pasta, offering an inclusive meal option that's perfect for family get togethers, team dinners or personal indulgence.
The hand crushed San Marzano Tomatoes infused with basil add the final key that makes this recipe a hit! I choose to use gloved hands to hand crush the tomatoes into the meat mixture directly into the pot. You can also use an immersion blender in the can of tomatoes to crush them up in pulses. You will not regret crushing steamed San Marzano tomatoes into your pasta dish! Trust me, you will want to stock up on these tomatoes for use in pizza sauce, pasta sauce, marinara or any other tomato based dish you can dream up!
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Made with lean ground beef and sweet Italian sausage, this dish is perfect for a family dinner or a cozy night in. With gluten-free penne, everyone can enjoy this hearty, easy-to-make meal.
- 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 medim Onion (diced)
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 pound Sweet Italian Sausage - ground (see notes)
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/4 cup Red Cooking Wine
- 48 oz San Marzano Italian Plum Tomatoes (2-28 oz each can, hand crushed)
- Salt (to taste)
- Black Pepper (to taste)
- 16 oz Ronzoni Gluten Free Penne Pasta ((Barilla works well too))
- 16 oz Kraft Italian Five Cheese Blend Shredded Cheese
- 16 oz Ricotta Cheese (may substitute with cottage cheese)
- 1/2 cup Kraft Grated Three Cheese Blend with Parmesan, Romano & Asiago Cheeses
In a medium (5qt) stock pot saute the onion in olive oil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the ground beeg and sausage to the pan and spread it out while breaking it up with a potato masher or heat resistant meat chopper. Cook the sausage until browned then add the garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the red cooking wine to the pan and turn the heat to high. Give the mixture a good stir with a wooden spoon. Once the wine has mostly evaporated turn the heat back down to medium and add the tomatoes by hand crushing them in the can or over the pot directly into the meat mixture. Be sure to add the juices from the can as well. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, continue to slow simmer stirring occasionally. Taste test the sauce and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Let the sauce simmer on low while you prepare the pasta.
- While the sauce is slow simmering bring a medium pot (6 quart size) of salted water to boil (3 tablespoons kosher salt). Cook pasta until 2 minutes less than al dente. Approximately 7 minutes.
While pasta is cooking and sauce continues to slow simmer, preheat oven to 375 F and set the rack to the middle setting.
Prepare a 9 by 13 baking dish by lightly spraying the sides and bottom with Olive Oil Spray (or any non stick-spray you have such as PAM). I use PAM Olive Oil Spray.Using a spoon, place a 1/4 inch thick layer of sauce on the bottom.- Drain the pasta. In a large stainless steel bowl, place 4 cups of sauce and add the pasta. Mix gentsly until well blended. Add the ricotta, grated cheese blend, and 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella cheese blend. Mix well.Pour mixture into the baking dish. Add remaining sauce, spreading it thinly across the top. Top with the remaining 8 oz (2 cups) of shredded mozzarella cheese blend.
Bake in 375 F oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and top has started to brown. For extra color broil for 1-2 more minutes but watch carefully! Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. This will allow the cheeses to solidify and help maintain shape as you cut portions.
Cut into 6-8 square pieces by first cutting down the center of the casserole dish lengthwise then cut into smaller sections widthwise.
Serve with a fresh tossed salad and breadsticks or dinner rolls. Enjoy!
If you cannot find groun sweet italian sausage at your store, you can purchase the Johnsonville Sweet Italian Pork Sausage Links (Comes in a package of 5 and usually found where the Brats are located). Approximately 2.5 of these links will equal 1/2 pound (8 oz). Remove the outer casing by using a knife and running it lenghtwise down the spine of the sausage link.
I generally will purchase ground beef in bulk. I will also purchase 1 package of the Johnsonville Sweet Italian Pork Sausage Links. When I am dividing my ground beef up into smaller 1 pound packages, I will reserve 2 pounds. I will use 1 pound of the ground beef and 2.5 Sweet italian Links. I will blend them using my hands in a bowl like you would when blending a meatloaf. Then I will freeze the blend making sure to mark the freezer bag (1 gallon size) with the date and the contents. This makes it a lot faster to just thaw and then dump the whole bag of ground meat into the pot for browning. And I always have it ready to go without having to prep the sausage when ready to make this dish.
This ragu (meat) sauce is EXCELLENT when served over gluten free spaghetti as well.