30 Easy Penne Pasta Recipes

Planning your lunch and dinner dishes can be tough when you don’t want something too complicated. That’s why penne pasta recipes are ideal for the whole family, especially when there are so many different things that can be done with them, from penne pasta salads and simple penne pasta dishes to penne pasta bakes.

Recipes with penne pasta are often fairly straightforward to make, being quick and barely requiring many elements, often with ingredients you can already find in your fridge.

Do you want to know what to make with penne pasta? You’re in the right place. To find out the best penne recipes keep reading.

1. Chicken Penne Pasta

Looking for a protein-packed dish, then get yourself making this one. It’s such an easy recipe, taking under 30 minutes to throw together.

To make this deliciously creamy recipe, you will need chicken breast, salt and pepper, vegetable oil, penne pasta, butter, garlic, all-purpose flour, heavy cream, chicken broth, parmesan cheese and for that extra garnish taste, fresh parsley.

While penne pasta is the goal here, if you prefer another shape or don’t have penne available, anything works just as perfectly.

Chicken pairs extremely well with penne pasta, especially with its creamy sauce.

2. Baked Penne

Need a hearty dish the whole family will enjoy? Then you should try this tasty comfort dish, ideal.

We love this dish as it’s full of layers, making it super cheesy and dreamy to have.

For this recipe, you will need lean ground beef, yellow onion, garlic, spaghetti sauce, Philadelphia Italian herb & cheese cooking creme, mozzarella cheese and penne pasta.

If you can’t get your hands on the Philadelphia cooking creme, you can instead use cooking cream mixed with Italian seasoning, works just the same.

3. Cream Penne Pasta

Looking for simple penne pasta dishes? We think this is the perfect fit.

While the ingredient list isn’t the shortest, it does only take a swift 20 minutes to prepare.

To make this gorgeous recipe, you will need penne pasta, butter, flour, garlic, white wine (or you could use chicken or vegetable broth), lemon juice, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and fresh parsley.

This recipe only provides basic seasoning ideas, but if you want to add something more for extra flavor, please do!

You could also add some chicken if you were looking for something slightly more filling.

4. Chicken Alfredo Penne

Nothing is better than penne pasta recipes with chicken, especially when they are packed full of flavor.

You’ll need chicken breast, butter, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, penne pasta, fresh parsley and parmesan cheese, and for the best part, the creamy pasta sauce, you’ll need butter, garlic, flour, milk, oregano, basil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

You can’t find a less tedious method with only a few steps involved in the process.

5. Shrimp Penne Pasta

Quick and easy penne pasta recipes with few ingredients aren’t as hard to find as one might think, and this is exactly one of those, taking only 10 minutes for prep and a further 15 minutes of cooking time.

For this delicious shrimp penne pasta, you will need penne pasta, garlic, butter, all-purpose flour, chicken broth, evaporated milk, shrimp, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and seafood seasoning – the special ingredient to give it that extra shrimp flavor.

Shrimp might seem like an odd ingredient to mix with pasta, but they pair great together and is something worth giving a go.

6. Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Did you know it is possible to make a pasta casserole? It might seem hard to imagine, but this dish is delightfully pleasant and worth adding to your penne pasta dinner ideas.

Want to make this recipe? You’ll need penne pasta, heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, onion powder, garlic salt, pepper, chicken breast, bacon, ham and bread crumbs.

While this dish is great and worth trying at least once, it is quite a high calorific meal, with 826 calories per serving.

7. Penne Pasta Salad

Want some healthy penne pasta recipes to try? This penne pasta salad is perfect and ideal for an upcoming family picnic or even to have as a lunch idea for work.

To whip this salad up, the ingredients include penne pasta, cherry tomatoes, green pepper, green onions, olives, Italian salad dressing (always needed for some extra flavor), ground pepper, dill weed, garlic salt and lemon-pepper dressing (another secret element).

You can even use this penne pasta salad as a side dish alongside a more substantial meal if preferred.

8. Pesto Penne Pasta

Pesto pasta is just glorious and is loved by everyone, so it is the ideal dish to make, especially when sharing with family and/or friends.

What’s even better is it only takes a short 15 minutes to prep.

Penne pasta, basil pesto, salt, ground black pepper, cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Short and sweet!

If you’ve got a family BBQ, picnic or another type of potluck upcoming, this recipe needs to be on your list.

Why not try serving it with some garlic bread too?

9. Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Creamy penne pasta recipes are the best, and this one is even better with some protein-packed chicken and delicious Tuscan flavor.

This quick and tasty dish only requires chicken tenders, spinach, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, penne pasta, unsalted butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and Italian seasoning.

Time is often a concern of many when it comes to making food, especially with children to care for, household chores to do, work, and much more.

That’s why this recipe is great because it only takes 30 minutes to prep and cook.

10. Tomato Basil Penne Pasta

Stuck on thinking of things to make with penne pasta? We’re here for you and got a great idea, tomato basil penne pasta.

Tastes just as good as it sounds!

This dish is slightly longer than the others on this list but still under an hour, only taking 45 minutes.

You will need penne pasta, basil oil, olive oil, garlic, grape tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

If you’re a fan of Mediterranean food, this could be the dish for you.

11. Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce

Want something more substantial and different than your usual penne pasta dish? While this might seem more complicated, you’ll be surprised to learn it’s quite simple along with budget-friendly.

This penne pasta with meat sauce recipe requires penne pasta, salt, extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, ground black pepper, ground beef, basil leaves, tomato sauce, sugar, fresh parsley and most importantly, the Italian seasoning for that extra herby flavor.

Even if you don’t finish everything, you can pop it in the fridge and use it as a leftover lunch meal.

It will last for around five days when stored in the fridge and can even be reheated if you want to eat it hot.

12. Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta

Creamy and garlicky, this dish couldn’t sound better, especially with the comfort food known as pasta.

To make this delicious recipe, you will need garlic cloves, parsley flakes, chicken broth, butter, flour, salt and pepper, milk, parmesan cheese and penne pasta.

This dish could work well as a family meal or even if you made it for your lunch at work.

13. Sausage Penne Pasta

Pasta mixes great with cheese. Most of our recipes on here require some type of cheese, but what’s special about this dish is the use of sausages too. Plus, it only takes a total of 20 minutes to prepare.

You will need penne pasta, Italian sausage, garlic, tomatoes, heavy whipping cream, salt, dried basil and parmesan cheese.

If you want some extra seasoning, you could choose to add some ground black pepper and Italian seasoning too.

14. One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-pot dishes are so much easier than your standard recipe, so if you’re looking for some easy penne pasta recipes, you’ve landed on your feet with this one.

With this recipe being Cajun, you can expect an extra kick, but if you want to lessen the spice or increase it, you can either increase or decrease the amount of cayenne pepper you add.

This recipe needs paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, olive oil, butter, chicken breast, onion, penne pasta, tomatoes, chicken broth, cream cheese and green onions.

15. Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Can you really have a pasta dish without parmesan? We don’t think so!

To make this, you need olive oil, onion, chicken breast, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, marinara sauce, fresh basil, penne pasta, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and cooking spray.

While a lot of pasta dishes are often high in calories, each serving of this recipe is only 301 calories, so great for those looking for a healthy dish.

16. Penne with mushrooms

A mushroom sauce with pasta works so well together, so we, of course, had to add it to our list for you to consider trying.

To make this, you will need penne pasta, olive oil, garlic, button mushrooms, ground black pepper, butter, fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.

Want some penne noodles instead of pasta? Why not substitute the penne pasta for some egg noodles instead?

17. Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

This dish is packed full of yummy elements, perfect for a family meal to share with your loved ones.

You need Italian sausage, penne pasta, olive oil, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, heavy cream, baby spinach and parmesan cheese.

Busy days and nights are what many of us suffer from, so this recipe is great when wanting a quick and delicious meal.

18. Italian Chicken and Penne

This recipe is so quick, taking only half an hour. Got a busy evening?

No problem, make this great Italian chicken and penne recipe.

The elements involved in making this dish include penne pasta, chicken breasts, green pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and the secret ingredient, Italian seasoning.

You could even make this for meal prep for the week.

19. One-Pot Sausage Meatballs

We couldn’t resist adding another one-pot recipe because of how easy they are to do.

What we love about this dish is how it reminds us of the famous Swedish meatballs but with a Mediterranean twist.

This dish requires Italian sausage, bread crumbs, onion, egg, olive oil, chicken broth, tomato basil pasta sauce, heavy whipping cream, penne pasta, parmesan cheese and basil leaves.

This recipe has family dinner written all over it.

20. Easy Cream Ground Beef

Sometimes pasta can lack flavor, but with this pasta dish, it’s quite the opposite, full of a variety of delicious flavors you will thoroughly enjoy.

You’ll need penne pasta, olive oil, onion, extra-lean ground beef, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, heavy whipping cream, salt and pepper, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

If you aren’t able to eat it all at once, you’ll be pleased to hear it can be frozen and reused in the future.

21. Hearty Penne Beef

This recipe not only tastes great but is just brilliant to look at, with the knowledge that the taste is going to be creamy and so filling in your stomach.

To make this, you’ll need ingredients including penne pasta, ground beef, garlic, tomato puree, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning, which is the best for that extra herby taste that works perfectly in pasta dishes.

Can’t think of what to make for dinner? Cook this, and you’ll be sorted.

22. Penne with Broccoli

Want something more simple and healthy? Perhaps as a side dish? This penne pasta with broccoli is so yummy, and you can even add more veggies or substitute with something else if preferred.

You will need broccoli florets, olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper, penne pasta and romano cheese.

This makes between 4 to 6 servings, so it could be easily used as a meal prep recipe for your lunch or dinner.

23. Double Cheese Baked Penne

Want some comfort food? Perhaps it’s a miserable Sunday evening, and you just want to make something that will give your belly happiness. If so, this is the dish you need.

To make this comfort food dish, you need ground beef, onion, penne pasta, salt and pepper, vegetable pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, egg and mozzarella.

One of our top tips for this recipe is to make sure you add a garnish, either fresh flat-leaf or parsley.

24. Penne Pasta with Cauliflower and Pancetta

This roasted dish is just gorgeous and will have you always want to make this dish.

At least, it has certainly left us feeling that way.

To make this dish, you will need sourdough bread, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, penne pasta, pancetta, cauliflower, garlic, butter, dried chilli flakes, parmesan cheese, parsley and ground black pepper.

You might be thinking, why does a pasta dish need sourdough bread, but what you’re going to do is make crunchy croutons to sprinkle on top.

Absolutely genius and just fantastic to have with it.

25. Ground Turkey Pasta

Want something your family will be drooling over and wanting, again and again, even the fussy kids? Well, this ground turkey pasta will tickle your fancy.

This recipe needs penne pasta, olive oil, onion, turkey, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic, all-purpose flour, chicken broth, tomato sauce, half and half, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, parsley and red chilli flakes.

Not only is this dish cheesy and creamy, but it’s also really simple to make.

26. Mezze Penne with Tuna

Pasta and tuna? It’s often a dish that you either have a love or hate relationship with, but we’re set on ensuring your mind is only pure love towards this recipe.

This recipe needs mezze penne, tuna, mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, capers, parsley, salt and pepper.

This dish is so simple, with the cooking time only taking a total of 20 minutes.

27. Creamy Salmon Pasta

Another fishy pasta dish. Oh yes, we again couldn’t resist, especially as it’s one of our one-pot specials.

This dish may not be a huge hit with children, particularly those who are fussy, but if you’ve got a meal coming up with family and/or friends, this is one they’ll love.

You are going to need salmon, penne pasta, butter, onion and heavy cream. Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley and salt and pepper. Make sure to add a lemon wedge, too.

It always goes great with fish.

With this dish, you can be certain friends and family will be asking for seconds.

28. Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

No matter the type of meal or family and friend gathering you have upcoming, this dish is something to consider making.

For this tasty meal, you will need clam juice (the secret ingredient), shrimp, basil leaves, flat-leaf parsley, garlic, tomatoes, penne pasta, black pepper, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes, olive oil, heavy whipping cream, parmesan and white wine.

We guarantee you’ll love this one, and it might become a firm favorite to have time and time again.

29. Shrimp and Broccoli Penne

Want something fast to make that you can be sure the whole family will enjoy? Then you need to try this shrimp and broccoli penne.

You might be wondering what sort of taste will be uncovered on your tastebuds, and you can expect buttery, garlicky, lemony flavors along with many more.

The ingredient list for this fantastic meal includes penne pasta, shrimp, garlic, broccoli, lemon, parmesan cheese and olive oil.

30. Easy Pasta Skillet

We love this dish as it’s so hearty and perfect for when you need a comfort meal.

To make this delicious meal, you will need ground beef, spaghetti sauce, water, Italian seasoning, penne pasta, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

It goes without saying that for most of these penne pasta recipes, the most important ingredient to have is Italian seasoning. You can make your own by mixing basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram.

Italian Chicken and Penne

Pasta and chicken go great together no matter the sauce, so of course, we had to add this tasty dish.