It’s true, when we’re trying out recipes and taking glamorous shots for the site or our print products, we often reach for fancier pasta shapes with more complicated Italian pasta names, like orecchiette, gigli, pappardelle, or cavatappi. But when we’re just cooking at home, we’re way more likely to fall back on the old standby—penne! It’s easy to find, its cylindrical shape and slight ridges means it goes well with any pasta sauce, and we think its pointed ends give it a touch of grown-up class (sorry, rigatoni). Check out our 33 penne pasta recipes for ideas—you’ll love it for its versatility too.
Truly, penne is a superstar year-round. Try it in spring with fresh produce, like in our spinach pesto penne with shrimp and peas or our lemony asparagus pasta, or alongside sun-dried tomatoes when the warmer weather’s got you craving deep summer ones, like in our sun-dried tomato & sausage pasta or our cheesy sun-dried tomato penne pie. In summer, don’t let macaroni get all the pasta salad love—penne is a great option instead. Check out our strawberry balsamic pasta salad, our chicken Caesar pasta salad, or our esquites pasta salad for ideas, but really, you can swap it in for any of your fave recipes. When fall rolls around, and cold weather with it, get back into the hang of cooking of your stovetop with our chicken sausage and mushroom penne or our penne puttanesca (truly fridge clean-out pasta at its finest). In winter, you’ve gotta go baked penne—it’s warm, comforting, and best of all, hands-off, so you can spend more time hunkering down out of the cold. Try our garlicky shrimp Alfredo bake, our baked penne alla vodka with turkey, or our French onion penne, or swap penne in for any of your preferred baked pasta recipes.
Want more pasta inspiration? Check out our favorite spaghetti ideas and easy gnocchi recipes too.
Creamy Garlic Chicken Penne
This pasta dish is like a jazzed up cacio e pepe, and is ripe for improvisation—add your favorite veggies and protein for a complete meal, or serve it alongside some grilled meat for an easy weeknight dinner.
Get the Creamy Garlic Chicken Penne recipe.
Rasta Pasta
This pasta is perfect for the night that you're craving a little bit of everything. It's spicy, it's creamy, there's veggies, there's chicken, there's CHEESE... there's basically no flavor or texture that this dish doesn't have. It's rare to find a pasta dish with a good level of spice, and the jerk seasoning in this recipe does just that. On a hectic weeknight, we love having this fun and easy pasta in our back pocket.
Get the Rasta Pasta recipe.
Baked Mostaccioli
Mostaccioli is a hearty baked pasta that's perfect for a weeknight dinner. It's essentially an easier version of lasagna, made with penne. Top it with plenty of cheese and you'll soon have a new favorite to add to the rotation.
Get the Baked Mostaccioli recipe.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
We knew noodles were the only thing missing from a Caesar salad! We like broccoli and tomatoes here, but use whatever additional veggies you like. Pre-grated Parmesan is okay if that's what you've got, but we definitely recommend shaving your own fresh if you can swing it—it sets this pasta salad above the rest.
Get the Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad recipe.
Jambalaya Pasta
Cajun jambalaya is a wildly popular rice dish that originated in New Orleans and was inspired by flavors from around the world. This version swaps the rice for penne pasta, but keeps with traditional flavors like Cajun seasoning and andouille sausage. We love a creamy pasta dish, so we added cheese too. It's a little inauthentic, sure, but also delicious.
Get the Jambalaya Pasta recipe.
Baked Penne Alla Vodka with Turkey
There is nothing quite as comforting as a baked pasta dish. The sides get a little crispy and the topping of melty cheese is to die for. Here we changed up the classic penne alla vodka by adding in ground turkey. The result is a creamy pasta that satisfies every carb craving possible with a little extra boost of protein.
Chicken Alfredo Bake
Think of this as a creamier baked ziti. Penne tossed with creamy Alfredo sauce, chicken, and (a lot) of mozzarella—need we say more?
Get the Chicken Alfredo Bake recipe.
Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Penne
If you didn't already know, you can make pesto out of WAY more than just basil. This deliciously savory red pesto—made with roasted red peppers, almonds, and Parmesan—might make you never want to go green again.
Penne Alla Vodka
This is the best creamy and bright vodka sauce any of us in the test kitchen have ever had. The secret? Tomato paste. Tomato paste has a more concentrated flavor, and texture-wise, it makes for a smoother, almost velvety sauce. BTW, you can swap penne for other similiarly shaped pastas, like the rigatoni shown here.
Get the Penne Alla Vodka recipe.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Skillet
This recipe takes classic French-Swiss Chicken Cordon Bleu and transforms it into a one pot meal (or nearly one, if you don't count cooking the pasta 😉). All in one skillet you'll get tender chicken, thick-cut ham, and pasta covered in a sinfully cheesy sauce that you might just like better than the original.
Get the Chicken Cordon Bleu Skillet recipe.
Tuscan Shrimp Penne
Shrimp, spinach, tomatoes, and garlic? Yes, this is the easy pasta of your dreams.
Get the Tuscan Shrimp Penne recipe.
Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta
If you like your pasta on the spicy side, this recipe is for you. If not, try making your own salsa verde so you can control the spice level (use less jalapeños or skip them altogether)! The mozzarella here also helps control the heat.
Get the Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta recipe.
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Penne
With a super-light cream sauce, this spinach and roasted red pepper penne is addictive. Thanks to store-bought red peppers, it's also super simple to throw together for a busy weeknight pasta dinner.
5-Cheese Marinara
When we say 5-cheese, we mean it! This dish is FULL of mozzarella, fontina, ricotta, Parmesan, and asiago. Feel free to swap in and out for your faves (or, you know, whatever you got in the fridge)!
Get the 5-Cheese Marinara recipe.
Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole
Whole-wheat fiber-rich pasta replaces the traditional bun in this cheeseburger-inspired casserole. Adding light cheese and tomatoes instead of ketchup keeps this lower in fat and sugar too. Don't be afraid to clean your plate and ask for seconds!
Get the Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole recipe.
French Onion Penne
French onion soup + penne pasta are a match made in heaven. We served these in small ramekins, but if you really want to carb it up and serve it in a bread bowl, we won't judge!
Get the French Onion Penne recipe.
Penne with Garlicky Shrimp, Ricotta, and Tomatoes
The trick to this deliciously creamy sauce? Ricotta and pasta water! This summer pasta couldn't be easier.
Get the Penne with Garlicky Shrimp, Ricotta, and Tomatoes recipe.
Lemony Asparagus Pasta
We shine a spotlight on spikey spring asparagus with a supporting cast of creamy white wine sauce, deeply infused with fragrant lemony notes and a nice salty Parmesan kick. We can't think of a better harmony of flavors to celebrate the beginning of spring.
Get the Lemony Asparagus Pasta recipe.
Esquites Pasta Salad
Pasta is tossed with a dressing similar to what you would find on elote (Mexican street corn) for this standout pasta salad. Mexican crema and cotija can be found in most supermarkets and Spanish markets, but if you are having trouble finding them, sour cream and feta make great substitutes too.
Get the Esquites Pasta Salad recipe.
