This series is brought to you by Indie Plate, Fresh.Groceries.Delivered. Here at Red Stick Moms Blog, we know how important it is to get healthy and delicious meals to our families, but we also know how difficult and time-consuming it can be as well. We are so excited to bring you this sponsored series by Indie Plate, a company that truly “gets it” when it comes to getting healthy and delicious foods to your door with just the click of a button! We hope you enjoy this week’s recipe!
Baked Penne Casserole
We’re featuring a casserole recipe this week that allows a busy mom to cook a gourmet meal in bulk, without much chopping prepping or cleaning, and the meal can then provide the family with multiple meals over the week. The focus is on cooking in bulk for multiple days with one night’s worth of cooking. Ground beef, tomato sauce and melty cheese come together in this easy casserole that’s simple, satisfying and feeds a crowd or the family over multiple days. You can make your own sauce or use a pasta sauce jar like that from Fresina’s pasta company. This recipe was developed and tested in conjunction with Red Stick Spice Company.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients (You can buy all the ingredients right here: http://bit.ly/BakedPenneCasserole)
1 lb Penne Pasta
1 lb Grass fed ground ground beef or ground brisket
4 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup cheddar cheese curds (optional)
2 Tbl Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for oiling the baking dish
1 md onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Fresina’s Handcrafted Pasta Sauce
1/2 oz Soprano’s Deliza Salt Free
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain, rinse and set aside.
3. In a sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the ground beef until cooked through. Drain (optional) and set aside.
4. Heat the Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the same pan and sauté the onion until softened.
5. Add the garlic and sauté only until fragrant.
6. Add the marinara sauce and Soprano’s Deliza Salt Free.
7. Heat through and add the ground beef back to the sauce. Adjust the sauce, if necessary, with the reserved pasta water.
8. Drizzle a little Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a 9X13 pan and spread around with a brush.
9. Add 1/2 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the pan then a layer of penne, another layer of sauce then 2 cup of cheddar cheese.
10. Continue layering and end with sauce then cheese on top.
11. Sprinkle with a little more Soprano’s Deliza Salt Free.
12. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the casserole is heated through and the cheese browns on top.
13. Broil right at the end for 1 minute for a crisper top.
You can buy all the ingredients here: http://bit.ly/BakedPenneCasserole
Total Servings: 6-8
Meal cost: $4-5/serving
Some Tips
- Pair it up with some of our toasted ciabatta or baguettes and a side salad for a gourmet family dinner around the table.
- You can saute chanterelles and chopped bell peppers with the onions to add more flavors to the meal.
- You can use ground brisket to add more richness to the bake. Brisket is a 70/30 cut with a bit more fat and a lot more flavor!
- Add cheese curds for a “stretchier” more cheesy bake!
