Baked Penne (Freezer Meal)



This is another meal that I have stashed away in my freezer for after Mr. Baby comes.  I made it in two separate dishes; one to eat right away, and one 8x8 foil dish to freeze.  This makes so much that I put the first portion in a large casserole dish (it said 2 liter- so, about 2 quart?) and it almost overflowed that AND the smaller 8x8 dish.  This is actually a baked ziti recipe, but I prefer penne; I used Barilla plus.  This is a simple, no-nonsense dish that is pretty easy to assemble.  We had some steamed broccoli on the side and it was great.

Baked Penne

from Allrecipes

1 pound dry ziti or penne pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti or pasta sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 1/2 cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.   (I had to cook mine longer because it was whole-grain). 

2.  In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.              

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. (This is where you can divide into two baking dishes.  For freezing:  Let cool on counter about 30 minutes.  Cover w/foil, label, and write directions for baking.  Freeze.                 

4.  Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.  (For a frozen dish, I would thaw in the fridge overnight, and bake at the same temp for 30-45 minutes). 

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