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A close-up of a cheesy baked pasta dish in a skillet, topped with melted, golden-brown cheese and garnished with herbs. A spoon is scooping out a portion of the pasta.
Melissa Jo

Easy Cheesy Rotini Bake🍝

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All the best flavors of Italy in a one pot meal, Easy Cheesy Rotini Bake! In this recipe we're going to create a quick sauce with ground beef, onions, garlic, seasoning, and San Marzano tomatoes, and let it simmer on the stove. Then we're going to create ricotta balls, using my signature blend that I use for my lasagna soup, lasagna, and more. Made with ricotta, herbs, and cheeses, rolly rolly and pop them on top. Bake it in the oven and then you have a meal that is worthy of a Sunday but easy enough to make on a weeknight. 
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 427

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 lb. of rotini pasta
  • 1.5 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 6 cloves chopped garlic
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp of each: oregano Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder
  • salt, cracked black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
  • 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup of pasta water
  • 2 cups whole milk mozzarella
  • *Cheese Balls: 15 oz. ricotta 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup of grated Pecorino or parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley, tsp of salt, tsp of black pepper

Method
 

  1. In a skillet with high sides, brown up ground beef, onions, garlic, seasoning with olive oil.
  2. Add a can of crushed tomatoes & about 1/4 cup of water in the can and swirl to get the rest of the tomatoes out into the skillet. Bring to a boil.
  3. Boil the rotini until 1-2 minutes before al dente, then add the rotini and 1 cup of pasta water to the skillet. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes.
  4. Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. Roll into balls.
  5. Turn the heat off and add the cheese balls immediately into the skillet. Cover the skillet with 2 cups of whole milk mozzarella.
  6. Bake uncovered at 400° F for 20 minutes. Then, broil another minute to brown the cheese.
  7. Serve the best dinner ever! Make it!

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Nutrition

Calories: 427kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 28gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 352mgPotassium: 397mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 336IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 218mgIron: 3mg

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