Description
This delicious pasta bake recipe features tender pasta tubes baked in a rich meat marinara sauce layered with creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses. Perfect as a comforting main dish, it combines ground beef, aromatic spices, and a blend of three cheeses for a bubbly, golden finish topped with fresh parsley.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Cheese Mixture
- 1 lb. pasta (ziti, penne, or rigatoni)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 egg, whisked
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, separated (1 cup for mixture, 1 ½ cups for topping)
Meat Sauce
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 (24 oz.) jars marinara sauce (recommend Rao's or homemade)
Garnish
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to get it ready for baking the pasta casserole.
- Prepare Cheese Mixture: In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, finely grated Parmesan, whisked egg, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Set this mixture aside for later layering.
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it for 2 minutes less than al dente to ensure it finishes cooking in the oven without becoming mushy. Drain the pasta carefully.
- Cook Meat Sauce: Over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef with diced onions until browned. Drain excess grease. Add minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add Marinara Sauce: Stir in the marinara sauce and heat the mixture through. Remove the sauce from heat once fully combined.
- Assemble Casserole: In a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, combine the drained pasta with about ¾ of the meat sauce and spread evenly. Dollop the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the pasta layer, then spoon the remaining meat sauce on top.
- Bake Covered: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the pasta to finish cooking.
- Add Mozzarella Topping: Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese evenly over the pasta. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- Bake Uncovered: Continue baking uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese topping is bubbly and golden brown.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove from oven, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot with optional garlic bread with cheese.
Notes
- This recipe uses a generous amount of sauce to prevent the pasta from drying out as it bakes; however, you can reduce the sauce quantity if desired.
- Choose tubular pasta shapes like ziti, penne, or rigatoni. Rigatoni with ridges clings to the sauce best for this dish.
- Feel free to mix ground meats such as pork, veal, sausage, or beef according to taste preferences.
- For best flavor and texture, use fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese from blocks, shredded or grated at home.
- You can prepare the casserole ahead by cooking meat sauce and pasta, then assembling and refrigerating covered for up to 2 days. Add 10 extra minutes to covered baking time when baking from refrigerated.
- The assembled casserole freezes well; defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
