Name: Gluten Free Marinara Pasta Bake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 16 oz box gluten free pasta; 1 lb italian sausage (sub: ground beef or turkey); 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil; 1 20 oz jar marinara; 2 Cups frozen brocolli; 1 C diced tomatoes (optional); 1 tbsp Italian seasoning; 1 tsp garlic powder; 2 C water, dairy free milk or chicken stock; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper

Admittingly, I am not a huge fan of “dump’ meals. Aka- dump everything into a pan and bake. I mean sure, there is always a time and a place for these hearty, comfort dishes. But I’ve always gravitated towards recipes that build loads of flavor that you can’t seem to capture when you just throw all the ingredients into a pan. But here I am, being humbled by motherhood & realizing sometimes dinner is less about flavor and more about getting it onto the table a quickly and easily as possible so that is where this Marinara Pasta Bake comes in.

Easy to make and perfect for serving a crowd, it’s the recipe I turn to whenever we’re hosting family or friends, one we’ve made and loved time and time again. Whether you serve it at a holiday feast or on a regular weeknight, I hope you enjoy it too.

My Gluten Free Marinara Pasta Bake

This baked pasta recipe is really just a hearty, easy clean up meal that you can easily amp up with some protein, veggies & maybe a little cheese. I made mine dairy free, but cheese is ALWAYS welcome. You really only need a few things to get this gluten free pasta bake in the oven.

Gluten Free Pasta – Grab a 16 oz box of your favorite gluten free pasta. I would suggest a ziti, fusilli, penne or bowtie. Something that can hold it’s shape. My absolute favorite brand is Jovial Foods. I’ve also made this recipe with whole wheat pasta.
Marinara Sauce – Marinara is the flavor maker in this recipe, so choose wisely. I prefer anything from Muir Glen.
Ground Italian Sausage– Sausage, ground beef, ground turkey. It all works here. Using a ground meat DOES require the extra step of browning it in a skillet- but if that is a step too many just grab your favorite chicken apple sausage links. Slice ’em and toss ’em in the pan.
Vegetable of Choice – You know I won’t make a meal without some greens or vegetables. In this recipe I added two cups of frozen broccoli & a cup of garden fresh tomatoes. However, you could swap those vegetables for 2 or 3 cups of zucchini, spinach, or frozen cauliflower.
Seasoning – Because I’m the flavor queen (self proclaimed). I require extra seasonings. So to this bake I add a little extra pinch of garlic powder and Italian Seasoning.

Of course, to really level things up you could add some pasture raised cheese or finish with some fresh parsley or basil.

Why is this Pasta Bake so easy?

Making this baked ziti recipe is easy! Here’s what you need to do:

First, You don’t have to cook the pasta! By adding a liquid like water, milk or chicken broth to the pasta bake. The oven does the cooking for you!

Cooking the italian sausage or meat of choice does add a step of labor, but this can be eliminated or done in advance. Leftover ground meat works great in this recipe.

Mix everything together! In a 9 X 13 inch pan, dump in the gluten free pasta, marinara sauce, ground sausage, vegetables, seasoning and then add 2 cups of water and give it a good mix. The pasta should be submerged in the liquid, It’s okay if some are partially covered, it will boil and cook.

Bake it! Bake the gluten free pasta bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the pasta is cook and the sauce is nice and bubbly.

Serve hot, and enjoy!