Meaty Baked Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces lean ground beef
- 12 ounces Italian sausage, mild or spicy about 2 large links
- 32 ounces marinara sauce
- 398ml can diced tomatoes, including juice
- 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes optional
- 14 ounces dried pasta I used penne rigate
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1 tsp dried basil
Servings: people
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften, stirring often.
- Add ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook until browned and no longer pink, breaking apart any large chunks and stirring often. Dab out any excess fat with a paper towel.
- To the meat add marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and chili flakes.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 20- 25 minutes to meld flavours.
- While meat sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions using well-salted water. (about 1 tbsp regular salt to 4 litres of water). Drain pasta and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a small bowl stir together ricotta, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, dried basil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Lightly spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with non stick spray. Add half the cooked pasta and half of the meat sauce to the casserole dish. Stir to combine. Spread with ricotta cheese mixture.
- To the pot with the remaining pasta add remaining meat sauce. Stir to combine and pour over ricotta cheese layer. Top with remaining half of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until bubbly. Broil for 2-3 to blister the cheese. Remove and allow to rest 3-5 minutes prior to serving.
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