Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta Bake
This baked pasta is made with simple ingredients like meat sauce, tomato paste, seasonings, pasta, fresh shredded mozzarella cheese and basil. Top with parmesan cheese if desired! The perfect meal for busy weeknights and a dish the whole family will love.
Servings: 8
Calories: 359kcal
Equipment
- Large Pot *for boiling pasta
- Colander *to drain pasta
- Large skillet *for making meat sauce
- 9x13 inch casserole dish
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fussiloni (giant fussili) pasta *see note below
- 1 lb lean ground beef *see note below
- 1 24oz jar pasta sauce *see note below
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 & ½ teaspoons Italian seasonings blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounce block low-moisture mozerella *shredded *see note below
Toppings
- Chopped fresh basil leaves & grated parmesan cheese. *optional but SO delicious! Highly recommended.
Recipe notes:
Pasta: I like using fusilloni (also known as giant fusilli). But any type of pasta works. Ground beef: I use 93/7% ground beef. You can use a higher fat percentage, just drain excess fat (or soak it up with a paper towel) before adding your pasta sauce. Pasta sauce: Use your favorite brand of pasta sauce! Homemade tomato sauce also works. Mozzarella: I freshly shred a block of low-moisture, part skim mozzarella. I avoid buying fresh mozzarella for this recipe because it's really hard to shred. I've also made this casserole with cheddar and colby jack cheeses. Both tasted great!Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Boil pasta. Cook it 2-3 minutes short of the time listed for al-dente on packaging. The noodles will keep cooking in the oven so we don't want to overdo it when boiling.12 ounces fussiloni (giant fussili) pasta
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once fully cooked add pasta sauce, tomato paste and seasonings. Stir well and allow the mixture to heat through.1 lb lean ground beef, 1 24oz jar pasta sauce, ¼ cup tomato paste, 1 & ½ teaspoons Italian seasonings blend, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Mix cooked pasta and meat sauce together in a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Top casserole with cheese and bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes until fully melted.8 ounce block low-moisture mozerella
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8th of recipe (all values are approximate). | Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.8g | Protein: 24.3g | Fat: 10.9g | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 6.3g