Pasta Bake

Many of us like a hearty pasta dish, especially when it is cooler outside. However these dishes can be very overwhelming to make, requiring several components, each with their own steps. If you want to make something that resembles a lasagna with meat, cheese and other layers, this becomes an even greater task. 

… And many of these require a separate step of boiling pasta to the right degree of doneness.

So this dish was adapted to simplify the process by taking out layers and many additional ingredients; most importantly, it removes the step of cooking noodles ahead of time. The Kid Cooks find this easy to put together. By adding extra water to the mix, the noodles cook in the oven, absorbing flavors and reducing any overwhelming workload.

Makes 6 servings

Need:

9 inch by 13 inch rectangle baking dish

10 inch frying pan

Large mixing bowl and cooking spoon

Get:

• Ground beef or turkey, about 1 pound (16 ounces) 85-90% lean
• Jar of red/tomato pasta sauce (24 ounces)
• 7 cups of uncooked egg noodles (ribbons) from a package
• In large mixing bowl put
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
• In small bowl put
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Prep:

• To the bowl of cheeses add
  • Spice mixture
  • Sauce from jar
  • One sauce jar of water
• Heat frying pan on the stove on medium high.
• Add ground meat to frying pan. Cook, breaking apart, until no longer pink.
• Turn off stove.
• Remove meat and place in bowl with cheese/sauce. (Leave liquid in pan.)
• Add uncooked noodles to bowl; mix completely.

Cook:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Pour mixture into baking dish and spread evenly.
3. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and mix with spoon. Even out the top again.
5. Bake another 20 minutes.
6. Remove dish from oven; Turn off oven.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve.

pdf version of recipe >> Pasta Bake