One Pan High Protein Creamy Beef Pasta Bake Recipe

You come in from work and you are exhausted.  You want a well balanced meal, but don’t wish to dirty 9.234 dishes.  I give you this One Pan High Protein Creamy Beef Pasta Bake Recipe.   All of the items can be kept in your pantry and freezer for that evening when you just don’t feel like it.  

Your whole family will be happy because this recipe is absolutely delicious.  You can literally get through this recipe just dirtying one dish if you have a good dutch oven. You’ll dirty 2 max, if you need to transfer it to a baking dish!  Sound good- okay let’s go!

How to Make This One Pan High Protein Creamy Beef Pasta Bake Recipe

You are going to prepare your meat sauce using a jar of your favorite marinara sauce.  I am loving Carbone brand right now. This is not a sponsored post, it’s just good!  The pasta sauce is a big part of the equation, so be sure to use one you like.

Now normally a pasta bake would come together with cooked pasta and then your beef mixture, but with this one, we add the dry pasta right to the rich tomato sauce and then we will add some milk which will provide a creamy situation, but also it will help cook the pasta right in the sauce. 

I know some recipes use cream cheese or sour cream, but this won’t work well in this application.  You need the extra moisture to cook the pastas.  I also recommend using Fairlife Milk and nothing less than 2% for extra protein and extra creaminess!

Now you can make your own pasta sauce, but my whole vibe with this is to make it easy. So sure, break out the tomato paste, tomato puree or chopped tomatoes, if you want, but I promise that adding a parmesan cheese rind and allowing this sauce to simmer gently for 30 minutes will give the feel of homemade.

What kind of Pasta can be used for Beef Pasta Bake?

I like to use medium shells.  So these are larger pasta shells that size up to a penne pasta or a ziti pasta. When you make these on-pot pasta recipes, the size matters on the pasta, so stick with these or you risk it not cooking correctly. You also want to stick to the right amount of pasta.  If you want to increase the amount, then double the recipe. There are convenient buttons on my recipe card for doing just that!

Substitutions for this One Pan High Protein Creamy Beef Pasta Bake

I like to use lean ground beef in this recipe, but you can sub in ground turkey or ground chicken if you’d like.  I can’t recommend making this one dairy free.  It just leans too heavy on the dairy to be palatable. Feel free to season your ground beef with more than salt and pepper.  I sometimes add Italian seasoning, garlic powder or fresh garlic. 

I top this with mozzarella cheese and pecorino romano.  Parmesan is a great choice and you can even add some cheddar cheese to the top if that’s your thing.  

Ground beef pasta bake is a great place to hide veggies! I always add some spinach to my sauce for color and nutrition.  Feel free to add in zucchini, carrots or peppers. This easy weeknight dinner is a great way to get kiddos to eat their veggies.  

How to Store Leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days.  You can also make the sauce and freeze it and then when you are ready to assemble, thaw the sauce and mix it together in a casserole dish with the other ingredients to cover and bake.  

One-Pot Pasta Recipes- Weeknight Easy

This easy dinner recipe is one you need in the rotation. It’s a simple dish with plenty of nutrition that will leave your family full and make your evening easy!  So, grab your favorite jarred sauce and stock your pantry and freezer; you’ll be prepared for any night of the week!

If you liked this recipe, please leave a rating and review below.  One of my favorite things is hearing your feedback and seeing you enjoy a comforting meal!

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One Pan High Protein Creamy Beef Pasta Bake Recipe

One Pan High Protein Creamy Beef Pasta Bake Recipe is any easy and high protein pasta bake.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 People

Calories 414 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 ounces medium shells or ziti
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 24 ounce jar Pasta Sauce
• 2 cups Milk
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1.5 tsp. pepper
• parmesan rind
• 1/4 cup parmesan or peccorino romano
• 1 cup mozzarella

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Instructions

 

• In a dutch oven brown the ground beef , add salt and pepper , pour in your sauce and add the parmesan rind . Allow to simmer for 30 minutes - more if you have time!
  1 lb. ground beef, 2 tsp. salt, 1.5 tsp. pepper, parmesan rind, 24 ounce jar Pasta Sauce
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Take your pasta sauce off the heat and stir in the spinach , pasta, and milk. Now you will have a blush looking sauce .
  8 ounces medium shells or ziti, 2 cups Milk, 2 cups spinach
• Put the lid on a bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
• Remove the lid - add your mozzarella and romano or parmesan cheese.
  1/4 cup parmesan or peccorino romano, 1 cup mozzarella
• Allow the cheese to melt and broil it slightly if you wish .
• Serve and enjoy !:)

Nutrition

Calories: 414kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 30gFat: 15g

Keyword Baked Pasta, Ground Beef, Pasta

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