The Magical Ina Garten Baked Pasta Recipe You'll Want to Make on Repeat

Penne with Five Cheeses

Ina Garten never fails to deliver. Her cookbooks, which currently number 13, include a range of recipes, including classics like Fried Chicken Sandwiches, inventive stuff like Lobster Cobb Salad and impressive dishes like Truffled Filet of Beef Sandwiches. And Ina absolutely shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon, thank goodness. Delighting fans with her recent comeback to Food Network to host her new show, Be My Guest, the Barefoot Contessa continues to find ways to keep us hooked on her unforgettable recipes.

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Pulled from her 2002 book Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Ina's recipe for Penne with Five Cheeses is a classic, comforting cold-weather meal that will leave your guests begging for more. It seems fancy, but it's actually super easy. That fact, plus all of those cheeses, inspired me to give it a try in my own kitchen. Here's how it went.

Get the recipe: Ina Garten's Penne with Five Cheeses

Ingredients for Ina Garten's Penne with Five Cheeses

Aside from buying out the cheese case (and a fantastic bonus of having leftovers of said cheeses), if you're a pasta lover, you may have all the ingredients for this weeknight meal in your fridge and pantry right now.

You'll need penne pasta, butter, heavy cream, crushed tomatoes, Pecorino Romano (I ended up using Parmesan because that's what I had on hand), Fontina, Italian Gorgonzola, fresh ricotta, fresh mozzarella and basil.

Related: The Simple Recipe Ina Garten Has Been Making for 40 Years

How to Make Ina Garten's Penne with Five Cheeses

Preheat your oven to 500°F and turn a pot of water on the stove to high heat. When it boils, add in both salt and your penne and—according to Ina—cook for 4 minutes (it'll finish cooking in the oven).

Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients (except the butter) in a large bowl. When the pasta is done, simply drain it, add to the bowl of cheeses, tomatoes and cream and divide into 2-cup gratin dishes. Dot with the butter and bake for 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Related: The One Ingredient That Makes Ina Garten's Tomato Soup a Must-Make

What I Thought of Ina Garten's Penne with Five Cheeses

Ina can do no wrong in my book. Every Ina recipe I've tried has not only been excellent but it's also given me a serious self-esteem boost because it makes me feel like such a culinary pro. The Hamptons hostess with the mostest always includes some handy tips with her recipes, guaranteeing you won't fail.

The Penne with Five Cheeses is a comforting classic—a baked penne with a twist, that will turn heads as you bring it to the table in all its bubbling cheesy glory. It was a snap to put together and the longest part of the entire recipe was waiting patiently by the oven as it baked and filled my house with the most delicious scents of basil, tomato...and all that melting cheese. It's as if mac and cheese and baked penne had a baby.

The dish wasn't too heavy on the tomato, and had a nice balance of creamy cheeses punctuated by the herby basil bites here and there. It had a delicious crunchy top (which was so satisfying to bite into) and a pretty cool cheese pull effect happening as I served it—especially when I hit a pocket of melty mozzarella. It was magical. Take one bite and you'll know what I'm talking about. You won't be disappointed with this one.

Tips for Making Ina Garten's Penne with Five Cheeses

1. Get creative with your leftover cheeses. Nobody is complaining here, but you will have a ton of leftover cheese, so be prepared with other recipes for your week to make sure it doesn't spoil. I'm dreaming of an Italian grilled cheese with the leftover mozzarella, Fontina and basil, plus some sliced eggplant and tomato.

2. Salt and pepper are optional. Very rarely do I come across a recipe that doesn't have you season as you go, but because this one has a lot of salt coming from the cheeses, you may not need any extra. Try a bite before putting it in the oven and season accordingly. I used salted butter in my topping and it was perfection. A grind or two of black pepper wouldn't be a bad idea for next time, either.

3. Buy your cheeses pre-shredded. Save even more time by buying the pre-sliced or pre-shredded cheeses for this one. I only had to shred my Fontina and it came together super quickly. As an added tip, make the cheese easier to shred by sticking it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up.

4. Use what you have. I didn't have little individual gratin dishes as Ina instructed (but how cute would that be?) so I used a large Le Creuset au gratin dish and it was just as impressive. But if you don't have that, use whatever you've got on hand.

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