This 3-ingredient oven pappardelle is the kind of cozy, no-fuss dinner that feels like a hug at the end of a long day. You literally nestle dry pappardelle nests into a baking dish, pour over a creamy sauce, tuck in some sausage, and let the oven do the work. No boiling water, no babysitting a pot—just pop it in and get back to homework help or folding laundry. The pasta soaks up all that savory cream as it bakes, turning into a rich, family-pleasing meal that tastes like you fussed way more than you did.
Serve this creamy oven pappardelle straight from the baking dish with a simple green salad (think romaine or mixed greens with a light vinaigrette) to balance the richness. Warm garlic bread or buttered toast soldiers are great for scooping up the extra sauce. If you like, add a bowl of steamed broccoli or green beans on the side so everyone can fill half their plate with veggies. A sprinkle of black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes at the table lets each person adjust the heat to their liking.
3-Ingredient Oven PappardelleServings: 4
Ingredients
8 dry pappardelle nests (about 8–10 oz total)
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 oz uncooked Italian sausage (mild or sweet), casings removed
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a large ceramic baking dish (about 9x13 inches) with a bit of oil or nonstick spray so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Arrange the dry pappardelle nests in a single layer in the baking dish. They can be snug, but try not to overlap them too much so they cook evenly. This should look like a top-down photo of tidy little pasta spirals lined up in the dish.
Pinch off small pieces of the uncooked Italian sausage and tuck them in and around the pappardelle nests, making sure some sausage lands between and on top of the nests so the flavor spreads through the whole dish.
Pour the heavy cream evenly over the pasta and sausage, making sure every nest gets some cream on it. The cream should come about halfway to three-quarters of the way up the nests. Gently press the nests down with the back of a spoon so they’re touching the cream, but keep their shape as much as possible.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil to trap the steam. Bake on the center rack for 30 minutes, allowing the dry pappardelle to soften and start absorbing the cream while the sausage cooks through.
After 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil (watch for hot steam). Stir gently around the edges and between the nests to loosen any pasta that’s trying to stick and to mix some of the sausage into the creamy sauce. Spoon a little cream over the tops of any nests that look dry.
Return the uncovered dish to the oven and bake for another 15–20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender when pierced with a fork and the sausage is fully cooked (no pink remains and it reaches 160°F/71°C internally). The cream should be thickened into a silky sauce that clings to the pasta.
If you’d like a lightly golden top, you can move the dish to the top rack for the last 3–5 minutes of baking, watching closely so it doesn’t scorch. Remove from the oven and let the pasta rest for 5–10 minutes; the sauce will thicken a bit more as it cools, making it easier to serve.
Gently loosen the nests with a spoon, scooping up plenty of sauce and sausage with each portion. Serve warm, straight from the baking dish, and let everyone spoon extra creamy sauce over their plates.
Variations & Tips
For picky eaters, use mild or sweet Italian sausage and skip anything spicy at the table; you can always add red pepper flakes to your own plate. If your family prefers chicken, you can swap in 12 oz of uncooked bulk chicken sausage instead of pork—just make sure it’s seasoned, since that’s where a lot of the flavor comes from in this 3-ingredient dish. For a lighter version, you can use half-and-half instead of heavy cream, but the sauce will be a bit thinner; keep the dish tightly covered a little longer so the pasta has time to soften. To sneak in some veggies without changing the ingredient count, serve this over a bed of baby spinach or with a generous side of roasted vegetables; the hot, creamy pasta wilts the greens in a really nice way. If your pappardelle nests are extra large or your baking dish is very wide and shallow, you may need to add an extra splash of cream or a few tablespoons of water partway through baking to keep everything moist—just stir gently and spoon liquid over any dry spots. Food safety tips: Always check that the sausage is fully cooked before serving; it should be browned with no pink remaining and reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). Use a clean spoon each time you taste or stir once the sausage has started cooking to avoid cross-contamination. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, store in a shallow container, and reheat until steaming hot all the way through before serving again.
