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Penne Pasta Winnipeg Dietitians

Cheesy Penne Pasta Bake


  • Author: Susan Watson, Registered Dietitian, adapted from https://www.recipegirl.com/baked-pasta/
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 4

Description

This is an amazing meal that you can prep up in advance, and freeze. It reheats in the oven for a quick meal on a busy weeknight. 


Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 large garlic cloves minced
14 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups ground turkey or lean ground beef or 2 cups cooked lentils
5 cups cooked whole wheat pasta shells (3 cups dry)
3 cups marinara sauce (bottled or homemade)
2 tbsp dried parsley or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 12 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (divided)
14 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Saute until onions have softened, about 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground meat and cook until the meat is browned about 5 minutes.

Cook the pasta on the stove. Drain. Then stir in the cooked pasta, marinara sauce, parsley and 1 cup of the cheese.

Spoon the pasta mixture into a casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and the Parmesan cheese too.

If you are having this meal on the same day you are cooking, then bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10-20 minutes at 375 degrees F. If you are preparing this meal for the freezer, then wrap in tin foil, label and then wrap the pan in plastic wrap. 

When you want to reheat this meal, bake at 425 degrees F for 45 mins (from frozen).

Notes

To add a bit more nutrition to this recipe, I added 1 chopped red bell pepper and 1 cup shredded zucchini. 

  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 20