This skillet baked pasta has a few ingredients and makes the best cozy dinner.
Pasta has always been a staple in my life. As a daughter of Italian immigrants, pasta made an appearance multiple times a week in our home. I’m a baked pasta kinda girl that’s my favorite and this skillet baked pasta and this Gluten-Free Small Batch Lasagna have to be some of my top favorites.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has four ingredients.
- It’s perfect for a romantic dinner or for entertaining guests.
- You only need two pans for it.
- It has all the cheesy goodness if you’re a cheese lover.
What Type Of Pasta To Use
For this baked pasta dish you will want to use the shorter cut pastas. While pasta shapes like ditalini or elbows are shorter they are too small so stay away from those. Also stay away from the longer pasta shapes such as spaghetti, fettuccine, etc. Some good options for this dish are:
Penne
Rigatoni
Farfalle
Fusilli
Caserecce
Ingredients
Pasta – Use a short cut pasta for this dish.
Marinara Sauce – Use your favorite homemade or jarred sauce.
Ground Beef – A leaner ground beef works great in this dish.
Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded mozzarella works best in this recipe, whether you buy is pre-shredded or shred it yourself.
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, once it’s boiling add some salt to it.
- While the salted pasta water is coming to a boil, fry the ground beef in a large skillet.
- Once the ground beef is no longer pink, drain the fat, then place the pan back onto the burner and add the sauce. For convenience it’s easier to use jarred sauce here. However, you can make your own.
- Let the meat simmer in the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
- Cook the pasta using the package directions until al dente. (Just shy of total cook time as it will continue to cook in the sauce).
- Once the pasta is ready, drain the water then add to the pan with the beef/sauce mixture and mix it together.
- Add some mozzarella cheese and mix again.
- Finally evenly sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top of the pasta.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the pasta is bubbly.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Skillet Baked Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 3/4 – 1 lb Pasta, regular or gluten-free use short cut pasta (rigatoni, penne, fusilli etc)
- 24 oz Marinara Sauce
- 8 oz Mozzarella, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F
- In a large stockpot, bring the water to a boil and add small handful of salt.
- While the water is boiling, grab a large somewhat deep sauté pan and fry the ground beef until it's no longer pink. Drain the fat and return the pan to burner.
- Add the jar of marinara sauce to the cooked ground beef, if it seems a bit to thick add 1/2 cup of water to the marinara sauce jar, swirl it around then add it to the pan. Cover and simmer about 20 min.
- Once the pasta water is boiling, cook the pasta to package directions for al dente.
- Once pasta is cooked drain and add to it to the sauce/meat and mix well.
- Sprinkle a handful mozzarella cheese over pasta and mix well. Then sprinkle the rest over the pasta.
- Bake in oven for about 20 min or until the cheese is melted.
