Are you looking for a quick and easy dish to make? Look no further! My kids and I threw this together today. We are trying to stretch out grocery shopping as much as possible and really try to use what we have on hand. So, after going through the pantry, this is what we came up with. It was yummy!
I also love taking a basic recipe and switching it up. This recipe is very easy to alter. Try it Italian style like we did or maybe make it Mexican style; the sky is the limit!
Baked Pasta
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 –2 tablespoons finely diced onions
- 1 garlic clove finely diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
- 1 – 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 – 1/2 cups Colby Jack Cheese
- 2 15 oz. size cans tomato sauce
- 1 box of your favorite pasta
Instructions
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In a large pot of boiling and very salted water, add the pasta and cook till tender. Drain.
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Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. When the onion is translucent add about a teaspoon of salt and the 1/2 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning and pepper. Cook till hamburger is done and the onions are tender. I cook the onions till they fall apart so they disappear into the sauce.
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Drain hamburger and add back to the pot or skillet. Pour in the tomato sauce and brown sugar and the other 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Heat through and taste. Adjust the seasonings to your taste.
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Spray a baking sheet with Pam and pour in your drained pasta and the sauce. Mix thoroughly and top with cheese. Bake at 450 degrees till cheese is melted.
Recipe Notes
Variations: Change the seasonings or the cheese! Use Italian seasoning with mozzarella cheese. Taco seasonings with Colby, Monterrey Jack or Cheddar. Try using Italian sausage instead of ground beef. You could even use diced tomatoes or add sneak in some veggies.
Leila says
April 27, 2011 at 12:11 amHi! After seeing this post, we had this for dinner tonight! Thanks for the idea!!
boodlesmom says
April 27, 2011 at 1:07 pmHi! I hope your dinner turned good for you. Let me know how it was!
Mary says
May 3, 2011 at 8:54 amWe make something similar to this ~ it’s yummy!
Visiting you from the HHH and just exploring your blog!
boodlesmom says
May 4, 2011 at 10:10 pmThanks so much for visiting and you’re right, that recipe is really yummy! 😉
Sonia Pelayo says
February 7, 2012 at 6:45 pmHi, I’m a little confused…lol. It says a tablespoon of Italian seasoning on the ingredients, but on the directions it says 1/2 a tablespoon. Which is it?
Sonia says
February 7, 2012 at 6:47 pmOh and how many ounces on the tomato cans?
boodlesmom says
February 10, 2012 at 10:39 amHi! Thanks so much for catching my mistakes. How silly of me! I’ve edited the post to fix the recipe. I used two of the 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce and I added the other 1/2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning when I added the tomato sauce. Sorry it took me a couple of days to get back with you; it’s been one of those crazy homeschooling weeks:)