Best Cheesy Meaty Pasta Bake Recipes

PASTA BAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Note: This recipe uses a lot of sauce, but the pasta absorbs a lot of it when it bakes. We don't want dry pasta.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and 1 cup (not all) mozzarella cheese and set aside.
• Begin boiling the pasta water while you cook the meat for the sauce. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than al dente, then drain. (Be sure to time it exactly so that you don't end up with mushy pasta.)
• Cook and crumble the ground beef and diced onions over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the marinara sauce. Stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat.
• Combine the drained pasta with about ¾ of the sauce mixture and transfer it to a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add dollops of the ricotta mixture over the top, then the rest of the meat sauce.
• Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and top with remaining 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese. Increase oven temp to 400 and bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes, until the top begins to bubble and brown.
• Garnish with parsley and serve with garlic bread with cheese.

MEATY PASTA CASSEROLES

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef, sausage, mushrooms, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, breaking meat into crumbles; drain., Drain pasta; add to the meat mixture. Stir in the tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa and pepperoni. , Preheat oven to 350°. Divide half the pasta mixture between 2 greased 13x9-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Spread 3/4 cup 3-cheese spaghetti sauce over each. Top with remaining pasta mixture and 3-cheese spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses., Cover and bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes. Uncover; bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes longer. Freeze option: Cover unbaked casserole and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

CHEESY MEATY PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly spray a baking dish - 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 and set aside.
• 2. In a small dish mix together the onion powder, garlic and oregano and set aside.
• 3. Cook the pasta according to package instructions but shorten the cooking time by 2 minutes. Rinse and drain well.
• 4. Heat a large skillet or pot to medium and add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook until done. Remove meat from pan but leave the drippings.
• 5. To the pan drippings add the butter. Then add the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and celery and cook until all are done but not scorched.
• 6. Add the meat mixture to the cooked vegies then mix in the pepperoni. Sprinkle the seasonings and stir to blend over low heat.
• 7. Stir in the tomato sauce and heat thoroughly over low for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and stir to combine.
• 8. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the Provolone and half of the Mozzarella cheese.
• 9. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove cover and sprinkle with remainder of cheeses. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until all of the cheese has melted.
• 10. Remove from oven and let it sit for at least 7 minutes before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.