Description
A quick, comforting pasta and beef casserole with tomato sauce and cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (≈ 450 g)
- 16 oz elbow macaroni (≈ 450 g)
- 30 oz tomato sauce (≈ 850 ml)
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1–2 tsp dried onion (or ½ cup diced onion)
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 1–2 tbsp tomato paste or extra seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Cook macaroni in lightly salted boiling water until al dente; drain.
- While pasta cooks, brown ground beef in a skillet; drain extra fat.
- Add onion (if using fresh) and sauté until softened.
- Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste (if using), basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer 5–10 minutes.
- Combine the cooked macaroni into the meat sauce, stir to coat.
- Transfer half the mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle with half the cheese, then add remaining mixture and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 20–30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
- You can skip baking and just stir cheese in at the end for a stovetop version.
- Use fresh onion/garlic instead of dried for more flavor.
- Swap in other pasta shapes (penne, shells) if desired.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge (3 days) or freeze in portions.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: ≈ 450–500 kcal
- Sugar: ≈ 5–7 g
- Sodium: ≈ 700–1000 mg
- Fat: ≈ 20–25 g
- Saturated Fat: ≈ 10–12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: ≈ 8–12 g
- Trans Fat: ≈ 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: ≈ 45–50 g
- Fiber: ≈ 2–4 g
- Protein: ≈ 20–25 g
- Cholesterol: ≈ 60–80 mg
