I’m a sucker for casseroles. I love comfort food. The bad thing about them is they’re usually filled with cream soups and calories. Boo!This recipe is a lighter version of a pasta casserole. It’s one of those recipes you can really play around with. Next time I make it, I’m going to try adding in more pureed vegetables. You can also use ground turkey instead of beef to make it even healthier. I used the lower-carb kind of pasta and it tasted exactly like the regular penne! My family really liked this dinner and it was so easy to prepare! Give it a try in your weeknight dinner rotation and let me know what you think!
Beef Penne Pasta Bake:
Print Recipe HERE
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-oz) box penne pasta – cooked & drained (I used Dreamfields Healthy Carb Pasta)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 2 cups water
- 2 (6-oz) cans Italian-style tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. instant beef bouillon
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 cups shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin boiling water for pasta and cook using package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend up the onion, garlic and peppers.
- Cook ground beef and pureed vegetables in a large saucepan until beef is no longer pink. Add 2 cups of water and cans of tomato paste. Stir until combined.
- Dissolve the bouillon into the 1/3 cup water and add to the beef mixture. Cook for 10-15 minutes until all flavors are blended and thickened.
- In a 9×13 pan, layer half of the pasta, half of the sauce and half of the cheese, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Repeat layers, ending in cheese and cover pan with tin foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly on top. Dish up and enjoy!!
YUM!!
Looking for more yummy dinner ideas?
Print Recipe HERE
Sharing this recipe at: Food Done Light
This is seriously a dish that my husband would devour!!! Looks yummy.
Sounds like a really delicious, comforting dish!
I love baked penne. Love your lower fat version. Thanks for sharing on Thursdays Treasures.
Found you linked up at Chef in Training. Mmm looks great and I pinned it!
I would love for you to stop by my blog!
Beth @ The First Year Blog
https://www.facebook.com/TheFirstYearBlog
This sounds wonderful and would be perfect with a side salad. Nice easy weeknight meal. Thanks for sharing!
I love pasta bakes. This looks so hearty and delicious!
I also want to invite you to join a roundup at my blog called Pantry Party. Basically, dishes that utilize ingredients found in the pantry are shared together and this month’s theme is pasta. I’d love if you shared either this dish or another!
http://lawstudentscookbook.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/pantry-party-february-2013-announcement/
Such a delicious recipes! I really love cooking and I want to try all these recipes because it seems so delicious.
helseprodukter