Cheesy Beefy Pasta Bake

Some days you just want some comfort food that’s warm, cheesy, and yummy. Although this isn’t the healthiest bake, I do try to incorporate veggies to give it a vitamin boost and make it a little lighter than a traditional heavy bake. I also use tomato sauce in lieu of a cream base, but that doesn’t take away the deliciousness of this dish.

I actually made this meal last week, when the weather wasn’t scorching and it actually felt like fall. I also had a nasty stomach bug and after not eating for three days I was ready for some real food and this dish fit the bill.

Since it was a weeknight and I was still not feeling 100%, I got some help from a prepared tomato sauce that was on sale at Sprouts called Little Italy in the Bronx . I really like this brand because they don’t add any sugar to the sauce. Why is sugar added to tomato sauce? I don’t get it; the tomatoes are sweet enough! I feel like it’s a search for the Holy Grail to find sauce without sugar in it. It’s so frustrating, and usually why I make my own sauce, but I digress. Just try this sauce, it tastes great and is sugar free.

Ingredients:

Mini sweet peppers (about 10) chopped

One shallot chopped

3-4 garlic cloves chopped

3 zucchinis chopped

One jar of prepared tomato sauce

16 ounce rigatoni (I used Delverde Pasta)

1-2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a cheddar blend in lieu of mozzarella, but either works)

1 lb. Butcher Box ground beef

Fresh Basil

Olive oil, salt and pepper

Heat a deep pan (I used my beloved Le Creuset) over medium high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan. Sauté garlic and shallot until transparent, about 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until no longer pink, add zucchini and peppers and cook until soft. Empty contents of sauce into pan and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Bring a large pot with water to a boil; add salt and pasta; cook as directed on back to el dente. Once cooked, reserve one cup of pasta water and drain pasta. Place pasta and water in marinara sauce and mix well. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover with lid to allow cheese to melt. Once cheese is melted, dish up, add more cheese if you’d like, and chop fresh basil over top.

Wine to pair?

Let’s go with an Italian theme and serve up a Chianti or even a Primitivo (Zinfandel’s Italian cousin). Either wine will cut through the acid from the tomatoes and hardiness of the ground beef. So Cin cin (cheers) to a hearty, warm, and filling dish! Now if only we could get some Fall weather around here we’d be good to go!