why we love penne pasta
Penne noodles are one of my favorite types of pasta to use in my pasta dishes! We usually cover them with a simple Homemade Marinara Sauce, White Sauce or use them to make a delicious Pasta Bake. So many endless recipes and main dish ideas! Today, we’ve gathered some of our favorite penne pasta recipes we know your family will love.
For pasta tips & tricks, scroll to the bottom of this post!
Favorite Penne Pasta Recipes
We have our go-to recipes on repeat at our house and this is that list! These are all kid-approved and best yet – easy! See our easy pasta recipes for even more.
More Pasta Dishes That Can be Made with Penne
As I mentioned earlier, pasta shapes can easily be swapped in a variety of dishes – here are just a few recipes that would be amazing with penne pasta!
Penne Pasta Substitutes?
Pasta is pretty forgiving in that you can use virtually any similar-size noodle in a given recipe. Any tube-shaped pasta of similar sizes such as mostaccioli, ziti, and rigatoni is the best substitute. However, farfalle, fusilli, macaroni, rotini, and rotelle can work as well.
How to Thicken Pasta Sauce?
The type of sauce you are making may affect the thickening agent used. Roux: Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce into a separate bowl. Mix in an equal amount of flour until smooth. Pour the roux into the main dish and stir. Increase ingredients. For creamy penne pasta, add in cheese, cream cheese, tomato paste, or heavy cream.
Variations?
Due to the shape, penne pasta works well with cream sauces like Alfredo Sauce and red sauces like Homemade Marinara Sauce. Many other ingredients taste great with this type of pasta as well: Herbs. Season with herbs and spices. Fresh parsley is a classic as-is, Italian seasoning, and garlic in any form. Add spice. Easily add a little heat with red pepper flakes. Protein. Ground beef, ground chicken, and ground sausage taste great. Other proteins to add include cubed or grilled chicken, shrimp, and bacon bits. Cheese can be added to make the dish creamier or simply sprinkled on top for added flavor. Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese are all great choices. Vegetables not only add flavor and texture but can add color as well. Mushrooms, onion, asparagus, broccoli florets, and bell peppers are great options.
