This baked penne pasta recipe combines melted cheddar, cooked ground beef and pasta noodles all together in a single satisfying dish.
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Easy and Delicious Baked Penne Pasta Recipe
Casseroles are an excellent make-ahead option for busy families and this baked penne pasta dish is no different. Since all of the cooking is done before transferring the ingredients into a casserole dish for the oven, the dish really only needs enough baking time for the cheddar cheese to melt. So if you want to do the prep work ahead of time (such as the weekend) and then just pop it in the oven to reheat and melt through the work week, it’s no problem at all.
Serve with a harvest mixed green salad or even a non-creamy sliced cucumber salad along with some homemade white bread for dinner and you’ll be all set.
Ingredient Alternatives
It’s always nice to know when you can change out the ingredients to a recipe bringing in new flavor and texture. In this case, instead of onion, you can substitute with one medium sized chopped leek. Not only are leeks a healthy option, they taste great in many recipes such as our homestyle leek and ground beef casserole or our hearty potato leek soup.
Satisfying Baked Penne Pasta with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 medium sized onions
- 3 cups cooked penne pasta
- ½ tbsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 cup tomato sauce marinara
- ½ tbsp Vegeta
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Saute beef for 7 min. Drain the juices.
- Add chopped onions, salt, pepper and Vegeta (or other favorite spice). Stir together.
- Add tomato sauce and mic together.
- Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.
- In the meantime, cook pasta according to instructions on the packaging.
- Once cooked, drain water.
- Preheat oven 370F.
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and transfer to a large casserole dish, 8×8 in size.
- Pour milk over top.
- Cover the casserole dish with a lid or aluminum foil to keep pasta moist.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes just until the cheese melts.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle top with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
More Ground Beef Recipes
We have plenty more main dishes using ground beef to choose from here on the blog. Check out some of these other delicious meal time options.
- Ground Beef and Leek Casserole
- Ground Beef and Potato Casserole
- Beef & Pork Meatloaf
- Easy Meat Lasagna
- Easy Skillet Lasagna
Thankyou so much for stopping by to visit us here on the blog! We hope you’re feeling more than satisfied with this dinner option.
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