Baked Pasta Recipe made with just 5 key ingredients for a healthy gluten-free pasta recipe with no mess in kitchen. No boiling water or dirty pots needed.
Healthy baked penne

Raise your hand if you are all about the quick and easy meals that don’t dirty up the kitchen.. (both of my hands are raised and I am jumping up and down).

Call me crazy or neurotic but I love when I make a meal and there is little to no clean up. Sure cleaning a couple bowls and pots and pans isn’t the end of the world. But when it is the end of the day and my energy level is zero and I still have to make dinner, I want something simple.

That is where this pasta bake comes into play.

The easiest baked pasta recipe you will ever find. Plus it is gluten-free and made with 5 ingredients.

This is one of those meals that also uses what you have on hand. There is typically a box of pasta and jar of sauce somewhere floating around my kitchen. I have dairy-based and non-dairy cheeses of some type in my fridge usually too. But I love that this recipe switches things up from a usually bowl of pasta with sauce mixed it.

Plus it doesn’t require boiling water (crazy, I know) and make the entire dish in a 9×13 baking dish. And you can even store the leftovers in there like I do.

baked penne with no boiling water

What ingredients you need to make this:

  • Gluten-free pasta. I used penne-like noodles, which I think work best here. You can of course use a gluten-based pasta too but I know many of my readers do prefer alternatives due to allergies/preferences.
  • Full-fat coconut milk. This ingredient is my secret weapon here. It is how the sauce gets so creamy and delicious. You can use whatever milk you want but the full-fat coconut one does taste best in my opinon
  • Marinara sauce – or really any pasta sauce you have on hand and are craving. This would also be good with a little pesto mixed in!
  • Organic shredded mozzarella – can totally sub a non-dairy cheese too.
  • Seasonings/spices – I use garlic, onion powder, oregano and top it off with some fresh basil

easiest pasta bake

How to make this gluten-free pasta bake:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and take out a 9×13 baking dish
  2. Shake the can of coconut milk to breakup the creamy parts
  3. Add the pasta to the baking dish and spread it across the dish
  4. Add the milk, garlic, onion, oregano and marinara and mix well to evenly combine
  5. Sprinkle cheese on top then cover the dish with tin foil
  6. Bake in oven for about 35-40 minutes then remove foil and broil for about 90 seconds so the cheese starts to bubble

Shop all cooking and baking essentials here!

If you are craving some more pastas, here are a few favorites: 

No-Boil Creamy Broccoli Pasta Bake

15-minute Peanut Noodle Salad (gluten-free)

10-minute Creamy Zucchini Pasta (gluten-free)

Sheet Pan Lasagna (gluten-free)

vegetarian pasta bake

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The Easiest No-Boil Baked Pasta Recipe (gluten-free)

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5 from 32 reviews

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A healthy baked pasta recipe made with just 5 key ingredients (all gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly). Plus no boiling water needed!

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins

Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12–14 ounces gluten-free pasta (penne-type shape works best)
  • 1 16-ounce can full-fat coconut milk (or any milk – I also sometimes do half broth!)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 24-ounce jar of marinara sauce*
  • 1.5 cups shredded organic mozzarella*
  • Optional: cooked protein like meatballs or sausage, added veggies

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and take out a 9×13 baking dish
  2. Shake the can of coconut milk to breakup the creamy parts
  3. Add the pasta to the baking dish and spread it across the dish
  4. Add the milk, garlic, onion, oregano and marinara and mix well to evenly combine
  5. Sprinkle cheese on top then cover the dish with tin foil
  6. Bake in oven for about 35-40 minutes then remove foil and broil for about 90 seconds so the cheese starts to bubble

Notes

*It’s okay if the amount of sauce is a bit more/less but something around 20 ounces

*Sub dairy-free cheese if desired

  • Serving Size: 5
  • Calories: 500
  • Fat: 20g
  • Saturated Fat: 15g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5g
  • Carbohydrates: 60g
  • Protein: 14g
  • Author: Rachel

xx, Rach