I make a lot of pasta casseroles to serve to my friends whenever they visit. A casserole is the easiest, tastiest way to make to make your friends feel welcome. There’s just something classy, friend, and casual about pasta that makes it a flexible dish. I just usually serve the pasta dish with a bowl of fresh green salad and homemade crusty bread. Because nothing tastes good with a casserole like this than homemade bread fresh from the oven.
See what our friends over at Recipe Girl have to say about this recipe:
” I explained that it was a lightened up recipe in the first place, there’s a good bunch of ZUCCHINI in it, and I’d be serving a very large side salad to go with a smallish portion of pasta. He eyed me suspiciously, but eventually he gave in to the carb craving.”
No one can resist a good pasta recipe. Not even those people who have a strict diet can say no to a small serving of pasta. Definitely irresistible, I’m tellin’ ya!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Bertolli olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large zucchini, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon McCormick red pepper flakes
- 3/4 pound Tyson lean ground beef (7% fat or less)
- 4 cups cooked Barilla whole wheat penne (about 2 1/4 cups dry)
- 2 cups Prego low fat marinara sauce (2g fat or less)
- 1 cup shredded Sargento part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, garlic and red pepper flakes– cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened– about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside. Add the beef to the pan and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula, until browned- 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any accumulated oil and discard.
- Add the cooked vegetables, penne and sauce to the pan and mix to combine. Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot and bubbly- 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle fresh basil on top and serve.
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Quick Tip: You can serve this with a side dish of salad and bread.
Thanks again to Recipe Girl for this amazing recipe.
