Need some fresh penne pasta dinner ideas? Meet what I like to call my "kitchen sink pasta"! This simple recipe formula guarantees a tasty and delicious penne pasta dinner in under 30 minutes. AND it's the perfect way to use up leftover penne pasta and veggies…
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Easy Weeknight Dinner Formula
There's a meme floating around on social media showing a woman face down on a chair captioned: "Why do they want dinner every single night?" Perhaps you've seen it? It makes me laugh every time it pops up, because I can totally relate...
My weeknight dinner formula (easy protein + simple side + salad or fruit) helps combat this feeling, as does the occasional declaration of a make-your-own-dinner night (leftovers, cold sandwiches, pizza rolls, even cold cereal, it's all good!).
But I also have one fallback "recipe" that's literally the easiest ever pasta to throw together... I like to call it kitchen sink pasta!
Pantry Staple Starters
Actually, I'm not sure I can even truly call it a recipe. It's more of a recipe template that starts with two basics pantry staples you probably already have on hand: dry pasta and jarred pasta sauce. Of course, it helps to start with an excellent pasta and sauce, like the Barilla Blue Box Penne and Barilla Tomato & Basil Sauce pictured.
I'm always looking for products made with simple, high-quality ingredients at the grocery store, and Barilla products fit this criteria to a T. Plus, I truly appreciate their commitment to keeping their products GMO-free!
Penne Pasta Dinner Recipes Formula
Okay, so start by cooking the pasta according to the directions on the package. Make sure to salt the cooking water well — it does make a difference!
And then I add the following to this easy weeknight pasta sauce:
- 🧅 Diced onion: Red, white, Vidalia, it doesn't really matter. I take one of whatever I have on hand, dice it up, and throw it in a skillet with about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.
- 🫑 Diced veggies: Typically these are whatever looks like it's not going to last much longer in the fridge: bell peppers, zucchini, squash, greens, you name it. Tossing food turns my stomach, so I try to use it up like this as much as possible. I add about two cups of diced veggies to the onions and cook until the onions are starting to turn translucent.
- 🍗 Ground meat: Use beef, chicken or turkey; choose your favorite! I just push the onion and veggie mixture out around the edges of the pan, and add the ground meat to the center, cooking and crumbling it until it's cooked through.
- 🧂 Seasonings: Seasoning the meat while it's browning is an easy way to boost the flavor of this easy penne pasta sauce. I typically with add a liberal sprinkle of garlic powder, oregano, and salt & pepper.
When the meat is cooked through, add the whole jar of pasta sauce. Crank the heat up to high until the sauce starts to bubble, then turn it down to low and simmer until the pasta is done. This ridiculously simple pasta recipe can be made start to finish in well under 30 minutes!
Pro Tip
Did you know you can make pasta in your Instant Pot? This Instant Pot pasta method cooks pasta in almost no time at all!!
Chicken and Penne Pasta Recipe
Do you see now why I call it "kitchen sink pasta"? My kids always ask me "what's in it tonight?", and I reply with "everything but the kitchen sink!"
For the pasta sauce pictured, I used up a Vidalia onion and yellow bell pepper (both going slightly soft), along with a package of ground chicken. It was delicious, especially with a good shake of Parmesan cheese over top!
This easy weeknight pasta dish is the perfect way to use up all of those odds and ends that might get thrown out otherwise. Often I'll just chop up veggies and/or onions that are getting past their prime, toss them in a freezer Ziploc bag, and freeze them.
This is a huge timesaver for busy weeknights! No need to thaw them — just add a few cups of the frozen onions and veggies to the pan with the olive oil. You can also cook the ground meat ahead of time and freeze it in portions.
Pair this pasta with a simple side salad and some fresh fruit for the easiest weeknight dinner ever!
Printable Recipe ↓
Penne Pasta Dinner Ideas Formula
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package penne pasta
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cups diced veggies such as peppers, zucchini, etc.
- 1 pound ground beef or ground chicken or ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- grated parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, making sure to salt the water adequately.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet, and sauté the onion and veggies over medium heat, until the onions start to turn translucent.
- Push the veggies to the perimeter of the skillet, and add the ground meat to the center. Sprinkle meat with garlic powder and oregano, and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook and crumble until cooked through, then mix the veggies and meat together.
- Add the entire jar of pasta sauce to the mixture, and turn the burner up to high. When the sauce starts bubbling, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the pasta is finished cooking.
- Serve warm, topped with grated parmesan cheese to taste.
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More Pasta Recipes
If you like this penne pasta recipe, you might also enjoy these other delicious pasta recipes:
- How To Make Zucchini Pasta with 3 Ingredients
- Olive Oil and Garlic Pasta Sauce
- Easy Cream Cheese Pasta
- Chicken Spinach Alfredo with Penne Pasta
- Foolproof Cacio e Pepe
Did you make this recipe?
I'd love to see how your kitchen sink pasta turns out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
Cindy says
This sounds delish!! I make this very similar. I add a can of tomato sauce to the Barilla sauce to help stretch the sauce and when all is done and the Penne is al dente, I add a package of mozzarella cheese. Stir until melted. This is one of my husbands favorites and I like it because it is so easy!!