Baked Pasta

I like shell pasta. I like baked pasta.  The two go together perfectly.  You will see me using shell pasta a lot!  I like it because anything you mix it with, as long as it is small enough, will always finds its way to crawl inside of the shell.  Stuffed shells with out all the work.  This baked pasta is one of my favorite go to recipes.  I change the ingredients to what I have on hand, sometimes I add in spinach or kale. 

This makes it a perfect weeknight meal.

1 small onion ~ diced

5 small sweet bell peppers ~ diced

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 ½ teaspoon salt + salt for pasta water

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 package of mozzarella cheese 8.oz

1 lb box of shell pasta

Easy Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Use this easy marinara sauce recipe.

Cook pasta for 4 minutes less than package directions.  Drain and place back into pan pasta was cooked.  Set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions and baby bell peppers to a large frying pan.  Sauté until onions are translucent and bell peppers are soft.

Add in hamburger, 1 tablespoon of pepper and salt, cook until brown.

Add meat and marinara sauce to pasta, stir to combine, transfer to baking dish.  Top pasta mixture with mozzarella cheese.  Bake pasta for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly brown.

Enjoy~