This Healthy Pasta Bake is made without a heavy, cream-based sauce. The “secret” ingredient to the creamy, but nutritious, sauce? A can of corn! Blend it together with the sauce, pour it over uncooked pasta, and then let the oven do all the work!
Not sure about baking pasta? Try out our Corn Pasta for a similar recipe made on the stovetop!
Do You Cook The Pasta Before Making This Pasta Bake?
Not for this recipe! Remember this genius Tuna casserole or perhaps this Tuscan Chicken Pasta? We’re borrowing the concept of throwing everything into a casserole dish (uncooked pasta and all) and letting the oven do the work for us.
But instead of whole milk, we’re using a plant-based milk alternative and a can of corn to create the ultra-creamy sauce, but in a more nutritious and lighter way. We’re also loading up this easy pasta bake with veggies and adding in some chicken sausage to amp up the protein.
Kid-friendly: Check! While I can’t speak for all kids, I can tell you, all three of mine gobbled this Healthy Pasta Bake and loved it! (I leave out the red pepper flakes when making it for them and instead sprinkle a few on my own plate!)
Let’s Chat Sausage
Any smoked sausage works in this Healthy Pasta Bake. We like smoked chicken sausage best (Aidell’s® Italian Style is our fave; not sponsored). It keeps things nice and healthy, plus tastes great — the flavors pair well with all the other ingredients in this recipe. Turkey sausage is another favorite here!
Note that we only use 9 ounces of sausage. Most smoked sausage comes in packages of 12-14 ounces, so save a link for another recipe (see “quick tip” box below). If you can’t find another use for it, you can add it to this dish — it works fine, but it will be very meaty! (Which is great if you’re optimizing for protein intake.)
Quick Tip
Use leftover chicken sausage in this Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies, Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls, or Sausage and Rice.
Healthy Pasta Bake Variations
- Southwestern-inspired: I went to make this again the other night, only to find we were out of plain canned corn. I used a can of southwestern corn instead and added 1 teaspoon paprika to the blender, and we were all obsessed with the results!
- Healthy Turkey Pasta Bake: Use smoked turkey sausage instead of chicken sausage. Or toss in some leftover shredded turkey along with the Parmesan cheese to warm it through. For a creamy ground turkey pasta, brown 1/2 pound ground turkey separately and mix through at the end with the Parmesan cheese.
- Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe: Instead of chicken sausage, use drained canned chicken, leftover chopped grilled chicken, or leftover chopped rotisserie chicken. If using fully cooked chicken, toss it through at the end (with the Parmesan cheese) to warm the chicken through. (Don’t bake it for 20 minutes — it will dry out the chicken.)
- Healthy Tuna Pasta Bake: Leave out the sausage and replace it with 2 cans of well-drained tuna instead. (Place drained tuna on top — don’t mix it through.) .
- Vegetarian Healthy Pasta Bake: To make this vegetarian, use a plant-based sausage or leave out the sausage entirely. To make vegan, use a plant-based sausage, plant-based butter, and leave out the Parmesan. (You can add some nutritional yeast or additional seasonings to make up for missing flavor.) A scoop of vegan pesto can also add loads of flavor without needing extra seasonings.
How To Make A Healthy Pasta Bake
- Blend: Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Bake: Add uncooked pasta to the pan. Pour blender sauce on top and toss with pasta. Bake.
- Bake Again: Add in frozen corn, broccoli, and chicken sausage. Stir through. Return pan to oven, uncovered, and bake for another 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened. Add Parmesan, basil, and dig in!
Healthy Pasta Bake Ingredients
- Corn: Use a can of sweet yellow corn and don’t drain it — we use the whole can for the base of the cream sauce
- Pasta: We’ve tested both penne and rotini pasta in this Healthy Pasta Bake recipe — either works. Whatever pasta you use, Make sure it has a similar boil time to penne/rotini (9-11 minutes) so it will bake through similarly.
- Almond milk: Any plant-based milk works, but opt for unsweetened and plain (not vanilla-flavored). We like unsweetened plain almond milk — only 30 calories for a cup!
- Butter: If you’re really watching calories, leave out the butter, but you will miss out on some flavor/richness.
- Frozen corn and frozen broccoli: It’s important to use frozen veggies; we’re relying on the liquid.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grab a block of Parmesan and grate it on the small holes of a grater. Alternatively, use finely grated Parmesan cheese. Parmesan from the can will be too salty and won’t melt into the sauce nicely.
Storage
- Store the finished healthy pasta bake in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days.
- Do not freeze the pasta bake, as freezing can alter its texture and consistency, particularly affecting the dairy-based sauce and pasta.
More Veggie-Packed Dinner Recipes
- 30 Healthy Dinner Recipes packed with veggies
- Tin Foil Sausage and Veggies Dinner with a roasted veggie medley
- Vegetable Masala creamy and hearty veggie-packed curry
- Turkey Bolognese with carrots, celery, onion, and tomatoes
- Vegetarian Enchiladas with black beans and corn
Healthy Pasta Bake
Equipment
- Baking pan 9 x 13-inch
- Blender or food processor
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
Blend Together
In Pan
- 2-1/2 cups penne pasta 8 ounces, see note 2
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces frozen corn see note 3
- 2 cups frozen broccoli coarsely chopped
- 9 ounces smoked/pre-cooked chicken sausage cut into half moons, see note 4
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese see note 5
- 1/2 cup fresh basil or fresh basil pesto, optional, see note 6
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Add all the ingredients under “blend together” (corn, seasonings, milk, garlic and flour) to a powerful blender or food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper). Blend until completely smooth, 1–2 minutes.
- Add uncooked pasta in an even layer to the prepared pan. Pour everything from the blender on top and toss with pasta. Press the pasta below the sauce. Add butter (cut into 2 pieces) on top. Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and stir everything together well. Add frozen corn, frozen broccoli, and chicken sausage. Stir through. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and bake another 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened. (Don’t overbake or the sauce will bake out.) Remove from oven and gently stir for a minute. Add Parmesan, several tablespoons at a time, while stirring constantly. (Don’t add all at once or it will clump.) Mix in basil if using (rip into small pieces or cut into ribbons) or top individual plates with a scoop of pesto if desired. Serve immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I should have read more carefully but please specify precooked sausage. I had to cook mine in the microwave since I thought it was more like a skillet meal. Also, I would reduce the amount of pasta and increase the amount of broccoli, personal preference.
Chelsea Chelsea Chelsea… you did it again my dear. So frikkin good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hahaha thank you so much! I’m so glad you loved! 🙂
I wish I had read the recipe more carefully and realized sausage should be cooked. I bought raw chicken Italian sausage. Added step of cooking it in the microwave and all good. I personally would reduce pasta and increase broccoli. Sauce is amazing!
Sorry Maggie! I’ve updated the recipe to indicate that earlier!