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This single serving Baked Penne is packed with flavor from roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, and a blend of melty cheeses. It’s easy to make, perfectly portioned, and baked until golden and bubbly—pure comfort in every bite.
Enjoy this baked penne with a slice of warm, crusty French bread. Pair it with a Caesar Salad or an Italian Chopped Salad, then finish with Mango Sorbet or creamy Tiramisu.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy & Flavorful: Simple to make with minimal prep.
- Easily Scales Up: Want to make baked penne for two? Double the ingredient amounts.
- Tried & True: This scaled-down version has been a favorite in my family for years.
This baked penne with roasted vegetables is one of my favorite go-to meals. It’s packed with flavor from tender roasted vegetables, all tossed with marinara sauce, melty cheese, and perfectly cooked pasta. The combination of creamy cheeses, and a sprinkle of Parmesan makes every bite so satisfying.
What I love most is how simple it is—just a few steps, and you’ve got a comforting, restaurant-quality meal made just for you.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch baked penne recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Vegetables: This recipe includes zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic, but you can swap in eggplant or use a different color bell pepper.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil adds great flavor, but any olive oil will work.
- Seasonings: Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning, plus salt and black pepper, enhance the flavor.
- Pasta: Penne, ziti or rigatoni are good options. Their shape helps hold the sauce. If you have extra pasta, use it in Pasta Primavera, Chicken Paprika, or an Italian Pasta Salad.
- Marinara sauce: Use a good-quality store-bought marinara, homemade tomato sauce or pomodoro sauce.
- Cheese: This recipe uses fontina, gruyère, and Parmesan, but smoked mozzarella, sharp cheddar, or gouda also work.
- Butter: A small amount of salted butter adds richness before baking.
Recipe Variations
Customize this baked penne with these easy variations:
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta and adjust cooking time as needed.
- Vegan: Swap in vegan cheese and butter, and use vegan pasta.
- Add Meat: Stir in cooked diced chicken or crumbled Italian sausage for extra protein.
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes or use a spicy marinara sauce.
- Creamy: Mix in a spoonful of ricotta before baking for a richer texture.
How To Make Baked Penne
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make this easy baked penne with roasted vegetables. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Roast the vegetables: Toss diced zucchini, peppers, onions, and garlic with olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for 12-15 minutes until tender.
- Cook the pasta: Boil a small pot of water over high heat. Add pasta and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain.
Pro Tip: The pasta will finish cooking in the oven, so keep it al dente—tender but firm.
- Combine ingredients: In a medium bowl, toss drained pasta with roasted vegetables, marinara, fontina, and gruyère until evenly coated.
- Assemble: Transfer to a lightly buttered 4×6-inch or 5×5-inch baking dish. Top with Parmesan and butter pieces.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the cheese is melted.
Expert Tips
- Evenly Cut Vegetables: Chop vegetables into similar sizes for even cooking.
- Best Pasta Options: Use penne, ziti, or rigatoni. For a healthier choice, try whole wheat or brown rice pasta.
- Cook Pasta Al Dente: Slightly undercook the pasta since it will finish cooking in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, assemble the dish, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day. Bake when ready to eat.
Yes, double the ingredients and use a 6.5×6.5-inch or 6×8 inch baking dish.
Yes, let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. Reheat in the oven for best results.
More Single Serving Pasta Recipes
Looking for more delicious pasta dishes made just for one? Here are a few favorites:
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
RELATED: Comfort Food Recipes For One
If you’ve tried this mini baked penne recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Baked Penne For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
- 5-inch baking dish or use a 4×6-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- ½ cup diced zucchini
- ½ cup diced red bell peppers
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup dried penne pasta (2 oz)
- ¾ cup marinara Sauce
- ½ cup fontina cheese -shredded (1 ½ ounces)
- ¼ cup gruyère cheese -shredded (1 oz)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon salted butter -cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Roast the vegetables: Toss diced zucchini, peppers, onions, and garlic with olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for 12-15 minutes until tender.
- Cook the pasta: Boil a small pot of water over high heat. Add pasta and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain. Note: The pasta will finish cooking in the oven, so keep it al dente—tender but firm.
- Combine ingredients: In a medium bowl, toss drained pasta with roasted vegetables, marinara, fontina, and gruyère until evenly coated.
- Assemble: Transfer to a lightly buttered 4×6-inch or 5×5-inch baking dish. Top with Parmesan and butter pieces.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Evenly Cut Vegetables: Chop vegetables into similar sizes for even cooking.
- Best Pasta Options: Use penne, ziti, or rigatoni. For a healthier choice, try whole wheat or brown rice pasta.
- Cook Pasta Al Dente: Slightly undercook the pasta since it will finish cooking in the oven.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This looks like the perfect simple Italian comfort food. I love that there are bright veggies and many kinds of cheeses. It must be so flavorful!
Baked pasta is the best! Especially with garlic bread sticks!
This looks delicious! I’m always looking for recipes for 1-2 people but it’s so hard to get the proportions right.
This sounds so good, there is just something about baked pasta that I adore! I love the veggies and flavors you have in here! Yum!
Love fast meals like this, one pan and your good. This looks so delicious.
This looks so good! I love past and I especially love when pasta dishes are filled with veggies. I’ll have to try this out.
Looks great:) Cooking for one can be hard but it’s still important!
This looks so yummy and I love the addition of roasted vegetables! What a delicious meal for one!
I love that little dish, and how simple this is, seems like it would be pretty forgiving and able to add anything veggies you have on hand.
Yum this looks delicious and healthy to boot! For some reason I always forget the option of roasting vegetables, Lol.
Tori