Ground beef, tomato sauce and melty cheese come together in this easy casserole that's simple, satisfying and feeds a crowd. We made our own sauce with summer ripe tomatoes that we slow roasted then pureed. But a jarred sauce like D'Agostino's would work just as well.
Ingredients:
1 lb Penne Pasta or try D'Agostino Pasta
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Tbl Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for oiling the baking dish
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups marinara sauce--make our Roasted Tomato Sauce or try D'Agostino Sauces
1/2 oz Soprano's Deliza Salt Free
2 cups shredded Mozzarella or Italian Blend cheese
Directions:
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the ground beef until cooked through. Drain and set aside. Heat the Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the same pan and sauté the onion until softened. Add the garlic and sauté only until fragrant. Add the marinara sauce and Soprano's Deliza Salt Free. Heat through and add the ground beef back to the sauce. Adjust the sauce, if necessary, with the reserved pasta water.
Drizzle a little Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a 9X13 pan and spread around with a brush. Add 1/2 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the pan then a layer of penne, another layer of sauce then cheese. Continue layering and end with sauce then cheese on top. Sprinkle with a little more Soprano's Deliza Salt Free. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the casserole is heated through and the cheese browns on top.