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Pasta Casserole With Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce

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Penne Pasta Bake with text bar in the middle

Penne Pasta Bake with text overlay

Pure comfort food, this Penne Pasta Bake recipe has a meaty, creamy sauce and lots and lots of cheese. It is perfect for a busy night, and is perfect for feeding a crowd.

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While we always love pasta, penne pasta is one of my person favorites! If you love penne, too – check out this Sausage and Peppers Pasta, Penne with Butternut Squash and Sausage, or Key West Penne.

taking a scoop of penne pasta bake out of casserole dish

As a food blogger, it's sometimes embarrassing to admit that my kids aren't the most adventurous eaters. And by that, I mean they are picky.

While it is getting better as they get older, we still struggle sometimes. But there are a few things that they will all eat almost every time. Homemade pizza. Meatballs. Tacos. And pasta.

It's a good thing that I like pasta too, because it becomes my go-to quite often.

But really – what's not to love (for the whole family) in this dish? A meaty, creamy red sauce, pasta, and lots and lots of cheese. This is comfort food that I will totally get behind any day of the week.

ingredients needed to make penne pasta bake

Ingredients

Penne Pasta: I think penne works best for this recipe because its shape holds the sauce well.

Ground Beef: I like to use a lean ground beef so that I don't have a lot of grease or fat. Fore more flavor, feel free to sub out part of the ground beef for sausage.

Onion: This adds great flavor. A clove or two of minced garlic would be delicious, as well!

Marinara Sauce: Make sure you use a marinara sauce that you really love. Don't use straight tomato sauce, because the flavor will be lacking. I like to use a marinara sauce that has lots of Italian spices in it.

Sour Cream: This is what makes the dish creamy. You can technically leave it out, but you'll lose the creamy aspect, and that's one of the things I love the most about this recipe!

Provolone, Mozzarella, and Parmesan: Yes, it's cheesy, and maybe that's why my kids love it so much! I love the mixture of all three cheeses. And I love to use sliced Provolone – I feel like it makes it that much cheesier!

Parsley: Not required, but I always love having something fresh and green added at the end!

steps to make the filling for penne pasta bake

How to Make this Penne Pasta Bake

PASTA: Cook your pasta until al dente. You don't want to overcook it, otherwise it will be mushy once it is all combined and baked.

SAUCE: To make the sauce, cook the ground beef with the onion, then add the marinara and let it all cook together and simmer. Stir in the sour cream.

COMBINE: Stir the cooked pasta into the meat sauce.

assembling the pasta bake

ASSEMBLE: To assemble, you are going to have 2 layers of meat/pasta and cheese. Start by adding half of the pasta to your baking dish. Top it with half the provolone, (tearing the slices, if needed), then half of the mozzarella. Add the rest of the pasta, then the remaining provolone, mozzarella, then the parmesan.

BAKE: Bake the pasta until the cheese is melted, then top with parsley before serving.

overhead view of Penne Pasta Bake recipe with wooden serving spoon

Tips and Tricks

  • You could technically use any pasta you want here, but I find that a short cut pasta works perfectly. I love penne because it becomes coated by the sauce so well. Plus, my kids like the best, so that is always a deciding factor!
  • You can use shredded Provolone if you can find it, but I actually really like the slices of cheese in this recipe.
  • This Penne Pasta Bake makes great leftovers!
  • You can make this pasta bake ahead of time. Make it up until right before you bake it. Cover and refrigerate, then let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking it. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time. You will know when it's ready when the cheese is melted and bubbling.

plate with penne pasta bake, green beans and breadstick

More Pasta Recipes

One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff
One Pan Pasta with Bacon and Peas
Skillet Lasagna
Creamy Mac and Cheese
Tuna Casserole
Baked Spaghetti

Description

Pure comfort food, this Penne Pasta Bake recipe has a meaty, creamy sauce and lots and lots of cheese. It is perfect for a busy night, and is perfect for feeding a crowd.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (24-oz) jar marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 6 oz sliced Provolone
  • 4 oz shredded or sliced Mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the spaghetti sauce and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the sour cream. Add the drained pasta and stir to coat.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour half of the pasta into the baking dish. Top with half of the Provolone and half of the Mozzarella. Pour the remaining pasta on top and top with the remaining Provolone and Mozzarella, and sprinkle the Parmesan on top.
  4. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from allrecipes.com

SUBSTITUTIONS: For more flavor, use half ground beef and half Italian sausage. Any short cut pasta can be used instead of penne – penne is just our favorite!

MAKE AHEAD: This can easily be made a day before and baked before serving.

FREEZE: This casserole freezes well. You can assemble the whole dish, then cover and freeze either before or after baking it. Either way, make sure it has cooled completely before freezing. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking. Leftovers can be frozen in individual portions, as well, and reheated in the microwave for easy meals. I would not recommend the microwave if it is larger than a single portion, though.

STORE: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
  • Calories: 492
  • Sugar: 10 g
  • Sodium: 940 mg
  • Fat: 24 g
  • Saturated Fat: 12 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 42 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 29 g
  • Cholesterol: 67 mg

Keywords: baked pasta, pasta bake, penne pasta recipe, penne pasta

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