Pasta Bake

Since we have a ton of holiday parties this week and then we are going out of town I have no groceries in the house. After raiding my pantry here is what I came up with to throw together...
*1 lb lean ground beef
*jar of pasta sauce (we always have the large ones of Prego traditional from Costco)
*bag of macaroni noodles
*3 string cheese
*seasonings

So I browned the meat with seasonings and cooked till well done. I added about 2 cups of pasta sauce. Simmer while boiling noodles. When noodles are done, strain and stir into same pan as your meat sauce. Transfer the pasta, sauce and meat into a baking dish. Separate the string cheese into thin strings and place all over top of baking dish. Put in oven and bake at 250 until cheese is melted (about 7-10 minutes)


This was the simple version. On days I have groceries I make what I call Mostacholi bake and I add the following:

*Instead of macaroni noodles I use Penne or mostacholi noodles.
*I usually sub the ground beef for lean ground turkey
*When pouring the pasta sauce onto the meat, I usually also add a can of diced tomatoes to the mixture.
*I like to add one beated egg and 6-8 oz of small curd low fat cottage cheese to the noodles, sauce and meat before baking. (If doing this change bake time and temp... 350 for 20-25 mintues)
*I also like to stir in fresh parm cheese before baking as well as some on top.
*You can add any of the following (but I don't): pepperoni, mushrooms, sauted onions... any toppings really.

This is a super easy dish that kids (and picky husbands) really enjoy too. Serve with a side salad and bread. Makes great leftovers as well!!