Million Dollar Pasta Bake
Million Dollar Pasta Bake gets the name for good reason. This casserole is layered with noodles, cheese, ground beef, italian sausage and tomato sauce. It's budget friendly and a huge family favorite!
Equipment
- 13x9 pan
- 14 inch skillet
- meat chopper
- dutch oven optional
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb mild italian sausage
- 32 oz marinara sauce
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 16 oz protein farafelle pasta
- 8 oz softened cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- In a dutch oven, or large pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
- Add ½ cup diced white onion to pot and cook until translucent. Once the onion has cooked, add 2 tablespoon minced garlic.
- Add ground beef and mild italian sausage to the pan and cook thoroughly. Remove excess grease from the meat prior to adding seasonings. Once the meat has cooked, add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon crushed red peppers (optional).
- Add pasta sauce and stir together. Allow mixture to simmer with lid covering it.
- In a seperate large pot, cook pasta in salted water until al dente.
- In a seperate bowl, combine sour cream, ricotta cheese, softened cream cheese, 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon italian seasoning, grated parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.
- In a 13x9 casserole dish, add 3 tablespoon butter to bottom of dish. add cooked pasta to first layer, then layer with meat sauce, cheese mixture, meat sauce, and then top with freshly grated mozzarella cheese.
- Cook for 30 minutes uncovered.
- Let it sit for 10. minutes before serving.
Notes
To make ahead: you can make this million dollar pasta bake the day before. Prepare all of your ingredients, up until baking. Tightly cover it well with plastic wrap and store in the refridgerator until ready to bake.
Ground beef or italian sausage: I prefer using both ground beef and italian sausage for this dish, because it provides added flavor. However, you can leave either out if preferred.
Pasta selection: I used Barilla protein farafelle pasta shells for this recipe to increase the protein amount. However, you can substitute for an alternative pasta. This dish is originally made with spaghetti noodles, however, you can substitute based on your preference.
