With the cost of food on the rise, you’ll find that pasta remains a pretty inexpensive ingredient anytime of year. Something else I love about pasta is that it can really stretch a dish or even be a great way to change up leftovers. For instance, if you have leftover Sloppy Joe meat, incorporate that into a pasta the second day and you’ve got a totally revamped dinner. The variety of pasta I especially like using in recipes is penne pasta though and these 50 best penne pasta recipes prove you can do anything with this short-cut, ridged noodle that works so well in bakes, warm and cold pasta dishes, soups and more!

What Is Penne Pasta?

Penne is a short cylinder-shaped pasta with ridged sides. The ridges are perfect for meats and sauces to cling to and really hold flavor. Penne is also the perfect one-bite size, so no worrying about making a mess slurping up long noodles!

Best Penne Pasta Recipes

I find penne to be quite versatile too, as far as pasta shapes are concerned. I’m talking baked penne pastas, penne pasta salads,one-pot skillet meals with penne and even mac and cheese recipes! If you find yourself in a dinner rut, grab a box of penne and scroll through this slideshow for recipe inspiration! There’s everything from Penne alla Vodka, Easy Meatball Penne Pasta Bake and One Pot Ham And Penne Skillet, to Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta, Instant Pot Lemon Asparagus Pasta and more. Up Next: The Easiest Lasagna Recipe

50 Easy Penne Pasta Recipes to Make for Dinner - 450 Easy Penne Pasta Recipes to Make for Dinner - 74