A quick and easy pasta bake dinner, loaded with cheese, ground beef, pasta and baked in a delicious tomato sauce. This is such a delicious recipe, and very easy to make too. If you're looking for a convenient way to prepare dinner, then look no further!
All you need to do is have the ingredients to hand, and I expect many of you will have the ingredients listed below in your freezer and store cupboards.
This pasta bake is cooked together in the same pan, so you only have one item to wash up at the end, and it's great for feeding a crowd too.
It's pure comfort food, and flexible so you can add your favorite cheese and herbs, you can use ground beef, pork, turkey or soy meat, and even add a few vegetables if you wish!
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This dinner is very filling, so if you have hungry tummies to feed, for example, any teenagers who always seem to be hungry, or big eaters, this will most certainly fill them up!
As far as budget goes, if you don't have too much money to spend on food, then you can always bulk this recipe out by adding more pasta and less meat or add some vegetables such as corn, peas, zucchini etc.
This delicious recipe has been generously shared by one of our Lovefoodies supporters, Sharon Jackson.
Sharon is always cooking up something tasty, and here we have a Simple Pasta Bake recipe, which allows you to add extra flavors if you wish, or keep it simple.
Whatever you decide, it will always be tasty!
Recipe by Sharon Jackson
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 -25 minutes
Yield
4 Persons
Ingredients
1 lb or 450 g Ground beef
1 Medium Onion
1 Green Pepper
2 cups or 285 g macaroni, spaghetti etc cooked (leftovers) or uncooked
2 cups or 470 ml Water
15 oz can Diced tomatoes
1 or 2 cans (15 oz each) Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 cloves of garlic minced
Italian Seasoning, dried parsley. (any of your favourite herbs will go nice)
Pepper to taste.
Grated cheese for the topping.
Instructions
1. In a pan, brown the meat, onion, and pepper, and add the garlic, and other flavorings.
2. Then drain away the fat.
Add the remaining ingredients and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish, or a similar size dish to hold all the ingredients.
Top with cheese.
3. Bake 350 F / 180 C / Gas 4 oven, 20-25 minutes.
Sharon's Tips:
I never make this the same way, I may add a little garlic powder, other times I may add a little chili pepper.
As always, I just do whatever suits me at the moment!
You can add extras, such as chopped zucchini, some other spices you like, or just see what you have in your fridge that you can use up.
It's really easy and you make it all in one pan.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our pasta bake recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Easy Pasta Bake
Easy Pasta Bake.
A quick and easy dinner, loaded with cheese, ground beef, pasta and baked in a delicious tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 450 g Ground beef
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 Green Pepper
- 2 cups / 285 g macaroni, spaghetti etc cooked (leftovers) or uncooked
- 2 cups / 470 ml Water
- 15 oz can Diced tomatoes
- 1 oz or 2 cans tomato sauce, 15 each
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- Italian Seasoning, dried parsley. (any of your favourite herbs will go nice)
- Pepper to taste.
- Grated cheese for the topping.
Instructions
- In a pan, brown the meat, onion and pepper, and add the garlic, and other flavourings.
- Then drain away the fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish, or a similar size dish to hold all the ingredients.
- Top with cheese.
- Bake 350 F / 180 C / Gas 4 oven, 20-25 minutes
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 628Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 2506mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 9gSugar: 21gProtein: 43g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Pasta Recipes
Here's a great selection of delicious pasta recipes for you to enjoy!
Garlic Meatballs and Pasta, homemade juicy meatballs with spaghetti, coated in a delicious sauce, tasty & easy recipe. Great for weeknight dinners!
Cheesy Beef and Spinach Pasta Bake.
Delicious oven-baked beef and spinach pasta casserole, baked in a rich cheese roux sauce to give you a great dinner. Easy to make and very tasty!
Easy Chili Pasta Bake, a great easy recipe and freezer friendly too! Use up your leftover chili and create a new dinner idea
Tasty Chicken, Bacon & Spinach Pasta. Quick and Easy and oh so delicious!
Creamy Garlic Seafood Pasta, a delicious quick and easy meal, with a delicious creamy white wine sauce.
This Celebration Breakfast Casserole is a full breakfast, brunch or supper time dish, loaded with mac n cheese, baby meatballs and bacon, comfort food at its best!
Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese is a delicious side or main dish, with a rich creamy cheese sauce and amazing flavors from smokey bacon and crabmeat. Really tasty!
Mac N Cheese Party Bites are a great little snack, perfect for parties and snacks. No frying either! Macaroni, cheese, bacon and crabmeat in delicious panko breadcrumbs. YUMMY!
Mac N Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms is so delicious! Easy to make and great for parties or as an appetizer. Baked mushrooms stuffed with a creamy macaroni and cheese filling with bacon too!
Simple Spaghetti Bolognese, an easy dinner using fresh ingredients and full of flavor, with a homemade tomato sauce
Cod with Bacon Pasta is a very quick and easy recipe, with great flavor and that bacon goes so well!
Bacon and Asparagus Pasta Salad is a lovely simple dish, served warm or chilled as a main or side dish. Goes perfect with a BBQ too!
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Chicken, Garlic and Spinach Lasagna, layers of tender chicken, spinach and pasta sheets with a creamy cheesy sauce, baked until golden. Easy recipe and freezer friendly
Luxury Mac n Cheese. Great flavors and easy to make! serve as an appetizer, main or side. You choose!
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Easy Stovetop Mac n Cheese in 3 simple steps. Perfect for a quick side or main dish.
Easy American Hamburger Goulash.
This is an easy recipe for how to make cheesy hamburger goulash, using pasta, ground meat,melted cheese and vegetables, cooked on the stove top. Pure comfort food using fresh ingredients.
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup.
This easy chicken noodle soup is made from scratch using fresh ingredients, full of flavor. Noodles, chicken, potatoes, carrots and celery cooked in a tasty broth
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Nanny's Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs (with Italian Sausage too!) is a popular recipe with her family. The grandkids absolutely love it! Easy to make, freezer-friendly, and always a hit!
Easy Manicotti - No more trying to stuff those pesky Manicotti tubes. A quick and easy pasta dinner recipe using 3 cheeses and a delicious pasta sauce.
Kennedy
says:This is my go to recipe but I use Frozen chicken breast, always uncooked pasta. I cover the casserole, then cook for an hour.. the oven does the rest! Delicious.. I am looking to have casseroles ready to go into the oven during Christmas with house guests Nobody ones to cook.. so last year, I froze breakfast, dinner and supper casserole.. Slides were big last year.. I will be making this pasta bakeup and freezing it uncooked .. Have no idea why people are finding uncooked pasta gummy, the only way to go! I find the precooked pasta horror tasting and gummy! I have made casserole of lasagne for years using uncooked pasta and it is great!
Jenni Nicole
says:I made this for dinner. The noodles did come out gummy. I baked it an additional 15 minutes and they were better, but not wonderful. I would definitely recommend purchasing the no-boil noodles next time. The flavor of this was awesome though!
KarenB
says:I am making this tonight for dinner. Love how the versatility is there of adding other ingredients!
Ann
says:What what are the sizes for the cans?.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Ann, sorry for the confusion. The cans are 15 oz each. I’ve updated the recipe so it is clearer!
Please enjoy and have a lovely weekend :)
Brodys mom
says:So I am making this right now and it is super gummy. I did what the recipe said
lovefoodies
says:Hi Brody’s mom,
Thanks for writing in. I haven’t heard this happen before, but the only thing I can think which could cause a ‘gummy’ consistency is the starch which comes off the pasta. It shouldn’t happen when using raw pasta, if cooked, did you discard the water it was cooked in, and not used that as part of the water ingredients in the recipe? I say this because when pasta boils in water, it releases a lot of starch which can sometimes give you a glue like feel to it.
Please do let me know how you prepared the pasta and maybe I can help further.
It certainly is a very nice recipe and popular with everyone who has made it, so I would like to make sure you can try it again, without that gummy-ness you describe!
Jalil Middleton
says:I bet your children might like it!
Jen Van Gysel
says:That Looks so delicious, I am at work and that is just what I am craving.. I am so making this!!!
lovefoodies
says:Hi Jen, This recipe is just perfect for working people as it’s so easy and quick. I am sure you will really enjoy it, and don’t forget, you can add extras too if you like. (I’m a sucker for adding mushrooms in mine!)
Have a good day at work and enjoy your dinner!
Kathryn Palasek
says:Sounds like my kind of dish. Will make.
lovefoodies
says:Thanks Kathryn, It’s a very tasty dish so please enjoy!
Kat from Ky
says:I added mushrooms!! Very good!
lovefoodies
says:Sounds perfectly delicious Kat!
Mary Ann
says:I’ve made this a few times since I first posted here, and each time a bit differently. I found I like using uncooked rigatoni pasta the best. When using spaghetti uncooked it’s a bit harder to spread evenly. I used a jar of spaghetti sauce in place of the tomato sauce along with Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, and this seemed to be the magic one for my guys at home. They raved and asked for more. Sprinkle some mozzarella or Italian seasoned shredded cheese for the last 10 minutes and it is divine! Just love the simplicity of this dish!
lovefoodies
says:You know Mary Ann, that’s what I love so much about this dish, is the many many ways you can change it to suit whatever mood you’re in! I’m sure when you make it again you’ll think up some more lovely flavours too! We’ve also had some use herby pasta which was a hit, so the possibilities are certainly as endless as your imagination! Thanks for sharing your ideas for the recipe. We love to inspire each other here! Happy cooking!
Mary Ann
says:Just wondering since the recipe says either cooked or uncooked pasta, wouldn’t it make a difference with the amount of liquid used? Uncooked is going to really absorb more of what you put in, right? I love the idea of using uncooked because that’s one less dirty pan to wash! Regardless, I’m going to try this tonight I think!
lovefoodies
says:Hi Mary Ann, you are right with the absorption levels, and yes, I would add less liquid if adding to cooked pasta. I’ve only ever made this myself using raw pasta, as like you, it’s one less pan to wash!!!