Ina Garten’s New Cookbook Shares Her Easiest Pasta Dinner Yet
This creamy, cheesy pasta comes together in just 35 minutes for the ultimate comfort meal!
Ina Garten, the beloved food personality known as the Barefoot Contessa, shares recipes from her newest cookbook, Simply Ina—and this one is the ultimate comfort dinner. “I make it in a large sauté pan and then just bring the whole pan to the table for people to help themselves,” Ina shares. “A good jarred marinara sauce like Rao’s makes this so easy.” Hearty beef and Italian sausage simmer in a rich, creamy tomato sauce studded with mozzarella and fresh basil, then tossed with perfectly cooked penne. It’s effortless, satisfying, and ready in just 35 minutes—proof that comfort food doesn’t have to be complicated!
Want more delicious recipes? Check out Ina’s new book Simply Ina: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook out now!
Simply Ina Copyright © 2026 by Ina Garten. Photographs copyright © 2026 by Quentin Bacon. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Total Time
Prep Time
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Good olive oil
- 1/2 lb. ground sirloin
- 1/2 lb. sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 (24 oz.) jar Rao's marinara sauce
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup good Italian red wine, such as Chianti
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 lb. penne, such as De Cecco
- 1 cup small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), halved
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- 1/3 cup julienned fresh basil leaves, plus extra for serving
Instructions
PrintBring a large pot of water with 2 Tbs. of salt to a boil. Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil over medium heat in a large (12-inch) sauté pan. Add ground beef and sausage and cook for 5–7 min., breaking them up with a fork, until they begin to brown. Stir in the marinara sauce and simmer for 10 min.
Stir the cream, wine, red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. black pepper into the pasta sauce and simmer for 2 min. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 10 min., until almost al dente. (It will cook more in the sauce.) With a wire strainer, lift the pasta out of the water (bringing some water with it) and add it to the pasta sauce. Add 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water and simmer for 3 min. Off the heat, add the mozzarella, Parmesan and basil. Serve hot in bowls sprinkled with salt, Parmesan and some more basil.
MAKE AHEAD: Prepare the sauce ahead but don't cook the pasta until you're ready to serve the dinner. Reheat the sauce in a skillet, add the cooked pasta, and finish the recipe.
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