This Healthy Pasta Bake skips the heavy cream and uses a can of corn for a creamy, wholesome sauce. Just blend it, pour over dry pasta, and let the oven do the rest.
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!)
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps & Tips |
|---|---|
| Corn (canned, undrained) | Use fire-roasted corn for smoky flavor, or Southwestern corn + paprika for a spiced twist |
| Pasta (penne or rotini) | Any pasta with 9–11 min boil time works |
| Almond milk (unsweetened) | Any plain, unsweetened plant-based milk |
| Smoked chicken sausage | Swap with turkey sausage, tuna, shredded chicken, or plant-based sausage |
| Frozen broccoli + corn | Use a frozen veggie blend if that’s what you have |
| Parmesan cheese | Grab a block of Parmesan and grate it on the small holes of a grater. Alternatively, use finely grated Parmesan cheese. |
Quick Tip
Use leftover chicken sausage in this Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies, Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls, or Sausage and Rice.
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!
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:
Healthy Pasta Bake
This Healthy Pasta Bake swaps out heavy cream for a creamy, nutritious sauce made with corn! Just blend it up, pour over uncooked pasta, and let the oven do the rest!
Video
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
Blend Together
- 1 (15-ounce) can sweet yellow corn undrained, see note 1
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and pepper
- 1-1/2 cups milk I use plant based, but any milk works
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
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 florets coarsely chopped
- 9 ounces smoked chicken sausage pre-cooked, 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 9×13-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!
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Add the entire can (don’t drain or rinse). For a fun flavor variation that I love, use a can of southwestern corn and add 1 teaspoon paprika to the blender—delish!
Note 2: This recipe works best with penne or rotini pasta, which are both great at soaking everything up and baking through perfectly in the time. Ensure whatever pasta is being used has a similar boil time to penne/rotini (9–11 minutes).
Note 3: It’s important to use both frozen corn and broccoli instead of fresh—this recipe relies on the liquid from both.
Note 4: Any smoked sausage works. I like smoked chicken sausage best (Aidell’s® Italian Style is my fave—I use 3 links). It keeps things healthy and tastes great. Turkey sausage is another fave. Though I only use 9 ounces of sausage, you can add more to this dish—it works fine, and it will be very meaty!
Note 5: 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.
Note 6: This dish benefits from fresh basil or a scoop of pesto. Each adds freshness, brightness, and great flavor. I recommend at least one of these toppings!
Storage: Store Healthy Pasta Bake in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. I don’t recommend freezing, as dairy-based sauce and pasta do not freeze or thaw well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 611kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 26.9g | Fat: 21.2g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 876.7mg | Fiber: 6.7g | Sugar: 15.4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Variations
- Southwestern: Use southwestern corn and blend with 1 teaspoon paprika.
- Turkey: Swap in smoked turkey sausage, shredded turkey, or browned ground turkey.
- Chicken: Use canned, grilled, or rotisserie chicken; stir in at the end with Parmesan.
- Tuna: Replace sausage with 2 cans drained tuna placed on top.
- Vegetarian/Vegan: Use plant-based sausage or omit it; for vegan, use plant-based butter, skip Parmesan, and add nutritional yeast or pesto.
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!