Cheesy Meaty Pasta Bake Recipes

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.

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 FOUR-MEAT BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil sprigs and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the basil and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the fennel and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the beef mixture.
• Cook the rigatoni in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, bacon, ham, provolone and half of the mozzarella and Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving.