blondie's pasta bake
(2 ratings)
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I've been making this for 30 or more years, and I don't get tired of it. This dish takes very little time prepping, since it is semi-homemade. My friends and family love this dish, and I love making it. Serve with a nice green salad and garlic bread~you've got a meal that is tasty and filling.
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(2 ratings)
yield
6 serving(s)
prep time
15 Min
cook time
1 Hr 15 Min
method
Bake
Ingredients For blondie's pasta bake
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3 Tbspevoo
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1 mdyellow sweet onion, rough chopped
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2bell peppers, julienned
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4 clovegarlic, minced or 2 tsp jarred minced garlic
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1 lbvery lean ground beef
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3 Tbspdried italian seasoning
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1 Tbspdried basil
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salt and pepper to taste
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1 lbdry pasta of choice (except angel hair)
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1 jarpaul newman's marinara sauce
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15 ozcan petite diced tomatoes, do not drain
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10 ozpkg frozen spinach, thawed and all juice squeezed out of it (optional)
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1 lbshredded mozzarella
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1/2 cgrated parmesan in the green can (optional)
How To Make blondie's pasta bake
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1In a large skillet on med-hi heat, pour in evoo. Heat till shimmery. Add onions and saute for 4-5 minutes till they start to brown around the edges. Add bell peppers and garlic; saute for 4 minutes.
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2Add italian seasoning, basil, and ground beef. Break it up and stir till brown. Now s&p to taste. **In the meantime bring 4 qts of water in a 5qt or larger dutch oven or stock pot.
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3Preheat oven to 350*, then continue the recipe~you're almost thru!
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4Pour pasta sauce, tomatoes spinach and parmesan into meat mixture. Stir well.
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5Cook pasta ONLY ONE-HALF THE TIME ON PACKAGE. It will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
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6Spray a light coat of cooking spray in a 13x9 pan. Spread about a cup of the pasta-meat sauce in the pan. Now pour the drained pasta evenly in the pan. If the meat sauce is too thick, add the pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until it is the consistency you want.
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7Pour the meat sauce into the pan and top with mozzarella. Place in the oven and bake about 25-30 minutes until the cheese is browning around the edges of the pan and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven.
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8Allow the Pasta Bake to rest about 10-15 minutes after removing it from the oven. The garlic bread can be cooking during this time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ENJOY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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