With all of us cooking more at home these days, I’ve been making a lot of one-pot meals, like citrus chicken with Jasmine rice and shrimp scampi. They’re great for feeding the family, but also offer easy clean up, which are two qualities I love in any dish.
My Ground Beef Penne Pasta Bake is so comforting in the wintertime, and is made with pantry staples I always have on hand, like pasta, jarred tomato sauce and shredded cheese. You can use ground beef or venison, and feel free to try different cheeses — Parmesan, Asiago or Romano would be delicious.
A Facebook follower recently commented on this dish and said, “I made this over the weekend and we loved it. I will make this often.” That’s my hope for you - to discover an easy and Some Kinda Good dish you’ll make again and again.
You can watch just how easy this dish comes together in a live video by visiting SomeKindaGood.com or connecting with me on social media. Good food and good company, that’s what it’s all about!
Ground Beef Penne Pasta Bake
- 1 (16 oz.) box of penne pasta
- 1 lb. ground beef or venison
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 jarred pasta sauce, such as Classico
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 tbsp. Herbs de Provence, crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- Fresh Basil, for garnish
In a large skillet with rim over medium heat, brown ground beef and onion. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta and cook, following package directions. To the beef mixture, add garlic and stir. Add seasonings: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and herbs de Provence. Add jarred tomato sauce and stir, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Once pasta is cooked, using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta into sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water to sauce to help thicken. Stir beef and pasta mixture together. Sprinkle cheddar over the top and place under the broiler for about 4 -5 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Let cook slightly before adding basil for garnish.
Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a private chef and the author of the best-selling memoir “Some Kinda Good.” Featured in Forbes, on Food Network and ABC, she writes about Southern, coastal cuisine, locally sourced and in-season. Connect with her on social media by liking Some Kinda Good on Facebook, or follow @SKGFoodBlog on Instagram and Twitter. To learn more, visit RebekahLingenfelser.com.