Baked Italian Penne {Freezer Meals}

Back to school is a very busy time for everyone!  The kids are exhausted from getting back into a long day of structure and then all the fun after school stuff that starts up and moms and dads are exhausted from trying to keep up with a very busy family.  We usually have more time on the weekends to sneak in more cooking.  So I like to think about easy casserole recipes that I can double up on and save for later.  This Italian Baked Penne is the perfect freezer meal.  It takes the same time to make two as it does to make one so….. make two and freeze the second for later!  I’ve even bought a throw away 13 x 9 pan so that I don’t have to worry about one of my baking dishes being stuck in the freezer if I needed it for something else.  What’s even better than that you ask?

Well, I’ll tell you.

The sauce makes so much that you’ll even have some of that leftover to freeze and have a quick and inexpensive spaghetti night.  There are always those nights where I have planned dinner and something comes up or runs late and my plans are out the window!  Instead of ordering out or singing through the drive-thru I can grab my spaghetti and have dinner on the table in no time.  I love that I made it and I know everything that’s in it.

This came together in 30-40 minutes and then I had two pasta bakes ready for the oven and freezer and 2 cups of pasta sauce ready for the freezer.

Don’t forget to enter the #BacktoSchoolWeek Giveaway!!!  There are so many amazing prizes to help make #BacktoSchool more fun.

0 from 0 votes

Print

Baked Italian Penne {Freezer Meals} #BacktoSchool

This recipe makes enough for two pasta bakes, one for dinner right away and one to freeze for those nights you just don't have the time. Plus, you'll have two cups of pasta sauce leftover you can freeze for later too!

Course Main

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Author Aubrey

Ingredients

• 2-27 oz cans of tomato sauce
• 6-8 cloves of garlic diced
• 4 T olive oil
• 2 large onions diced
• 2 T dried oregano
• 2 T dried basil
• 2 t salt
• 2 t pepper
• 1 T garlic powder optional
• 1 T onion powder optional
• 16 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 2 lbs Italian Seasoned ground turkey
• 2 lbs Penne pasta
• 4 c. shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. In a large pot heat olive oil on med heat
2. add diced onion and allow to cook for 3-4 min until softened
3. add diced garlic and be sure to stir so that it doesn't burn, allow to cook for 1 min
4. pour in tomato sauce
5. stir in oregano, basil, salt and pepper
6. bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer while ground turkey cooks
7. place a large pan over med high heat
8. add a teaspoon of olive oil (optional) cook ground turkey breaking up as it cooks
9. cook until browned and cooked through
10. taste pasta sauce add garlic or onion powder to taste
11. also check for more salt and pepper and add to taste
12. bring water to a boil in a stock pot and cook to package directions
13. in 2 13 x 9 dishes add just enough pasta sauce to cover the bottom
14. remove 2 cups of sauce and set aside for another night
15. split the remaining pasta sauce between the two dishes
16. split the pasta and ground turkey between the dishes and toss
17. sprinkle with 2 cups of cheese each
18. Cover one dish with foil and freeze for later
19. pull the frozen dish out the night before and store in the refrigerator to defrost
20. preheat the oven to 375 degrees to cook
21. cook covered with foil for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through
22. remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes allowing cheese to melt

Don’t forget that there is a PinChat for #BacktoSchoolWeek this weekend with some pretty fantastic prizes.  Not sure what a PinChat is? Well……

1. Go to the #BacktoSchoolWeek pin board on Pinterest here. It will be full of fun Pin graphics with questions about back to school. You can re-pin the questions, answer questions in the comment section of the pins and pin crafts/recipes to the board as answers to questions {only the comments on the question pins count as entries to the PinChatLive giveaway} How fun is that?!? {**Only ONE comment per question pin per person, please. Pinterest views multiple comments from the same person on the same pin to be spam}
2. Go to the YouTube video that will be happening during the PinChatLive from 6-7 pm EST Sunday Aug 25th. We’ll be chatting about back to school and doing a play-by-play of the pinning.You’ll be able to see and hear the hosts of #BacktoSchoolWeek and some of the participating bloggers! Comments on the video count as PinChatLive giveaway entries!
3. You’ll be able to watch/listen to the YouTube video while you see the PinChat unfold on Pinterest. Cool, right? 

Download Your Free Copy!

Download your FREE copy of Dinner Made Easy!

Sign up to receive our newsletter and download your copy of Dinner Made Easy FREE! You'll get one email a week with our favorite recipes and tools to make life easy!

Thank you so much for signing up to get our recipes delivered right to your inbox! Check your inbox to get our thank you present and to confirm you really want to sign up! You can unsubscribe at any time but I really hope you stick around!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

I'd like to receive the free email course. Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit