Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake (No Boil!)

This creamy Italian sausage pasta bake bakes the penne right in the pot with fresh tomatoes and Boursin, so there's no boiling and only one pot to wash. One pot, no boil.

Okay, we've all seen the dump-and-bake pasta dishes on social media. I love the concept, but they can be a little tricky to get just right - they're kind of a Goldilocks recipe. Too little liquid and you end up with hard noodles. Too much and you get a soupy mess. But when the balance is just right, you get a super simple, one-pot dinner loaded with flavor. Everything goes into one pot, the oven does the work, and every single person in my family devours it. I first made this version with a pile of farmers market tomatoes I had on hand, and it turned out to be the perfect way to use them up.

The Boursin cheese melts into the broth and tomatoes to make a creamy sauce, no heavy cream needed. If easy pasta dinners are your thing, my dump-and-bake meatball casserole, creamy Boursin cheese pasta, and one-pot French onion soup pasta are a few more favorites around here.

Why This Pasta Bake Works

• Everything cooks in one pot. This easy no-boil pasta bake cooks completely in one Dutch oven, so there's no separate pot of water or colander to wash. Just brown your sausage, add everything else and bake it in the oven.
• The sauce is creamy without cream. Boursin, chicken broth, and tomatoes come together into a garlicky sauce, and a handful of Parmesan at the end finishes it off.
• Fresh tomatoes make a difference. Fresh is absolutely the way to go here, and if you can get really good farmer's market tomatoes, even better. About 2 pounds of chopped tomatoes soften into the sauce and give it a bright, slightly sweet flavor you don't get from tomato sauce alone.
• It's mostly hands-off. After a stir halfway through, the oven does the rest, which makes this a great one for busy nights.

Key Ingredients

We've got a short and sweet ingredient list here. A few things worth knowing:

• Italian sausage. Two pounds of is a generous amount, and it's what makes this a full meal in one pot. Mild or hot both work, so choose the heat level your crowd likes. (I actually often use a mix of mild Italian sausage and spicy, which gives the sauce just a little kick.)
• Boursin. The garlic and herb Boursin is the creamy sauce here. It softens in the oven, then gets stirred into the broth partway through, adding garlic, herbs, and richness all at once.
• Fresh tomatoes. Ripe, in-season tomatoes give the best flavor. They soften into the sauce as the pasta bakes, so there's no need to peel or seed them and what you end up getting is a deliciously creamy tomato sauce that soaks right into the penne.
• Chicken broth. The pasta cooks in the broth and tomato juices, so be sure to measure it instead of eyeballing it.
• Parmesan cheese. Grate it fresh from a block if you can. It melts into the sauce more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind.

How To Make Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

Step 1: Preheat the oven and brown the sausage
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Add the Italian sausage to a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, until browned and cooked through. Drain off any excess grease.

Step 2: Add the penne pasta, tomatoes, broth, and Boursin
To the same pot, add the uncooked penne, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir everything together so the pasta is spread through the liquid as evenly as possible. Place the Boursin in the center of the pot. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer the pot to the oven.

Step 3: Bake for 15 minutes, then stir
Remove the pot from the oven and stir very well, breaking up the softened Boursin and moving the noodles that were sitting on top down into the broth. Don't skip this step! The stir halfway is important for evenly cooked pasta.

Step 4: Cover and bake 15 more minutes
Cover the pot and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. If a few pieces are still too firm, stir again, cover, and return the pot to the oven for about 5 more minutes.

Step 5: Let it rest, then stir in the Parmesan
Let the pasta rest for at least 10 minutes. The sauce will look fairly thin when it first comes out of the oven, but it thickens as it sits.

Stir in ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan. Taste and add salt if needed, then serve topped with fresh basil and a little more Parmesan.

Expert Tips for Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

A few tips to make sure your pasta bake comes out perfectly:

• Stir at the halfway mark. Noodles sitting on top of the pot may not be fully submerged in the broth and can stay crunchy. Stirring after 15 minutes gives every piece its turn in the liquid.
• Let it rest before you judge the sauce. The pasta keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, and the Parmesan you stir in afterward thickens it even more, so those 10 minutes make a real difference.
• Taste a noodle before serving. Pasta brands and shapes cook a little differently, so a few pieces may need the extra 5 minutes in Step 6.
• Hold the salt until the end. The sausage, broth, Boursin, and Parmesan all bring salt to the pot, so taste after the Parmesan goes in before adding any more.

Storage and Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pasta keeps absorbing sauce as it sits in the fridge, so add a splash of chicken broth or water to help loosen it up when you reheat it in the microwave or in a covered skillet over low heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Serve With Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

This is a substantial one-pot meal, so the sides can stay pretty simple. Here are a few I like to serve alongside it.

• Rosemary parmesan bread. My no-knead rosemary parmesan bread [LINK: https://www.frontrangefed.com/rosemary-parmesan-bread-no-knead/] bakes in a Dutch oven, and it's just right for mopping up the creamy sauce.
• A simple green salad. Something crisp and lightly dressed balances the richness. A simple lemon vinaigrette is an easy way to dress it.
• Chopped zucchini salad. This chopped zucchini salad with Parmesan and herbs is one of my favorite fresh sides and it works well while zucchini is still in season.
• Garlic green beans. These green beans with almonds and garlic add a little crunch without competing with the pasta.

More Easy Pasta Dishes

Made this creamy Italian sausage pasta bake? I want to hear how it turned out. Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tell me what you served it with.