Baked penne pasta
An easy family favourite with a twist: Step your pasta bake up a notch with and Italian inspired addition of ricotta and melting mozzarella. Creamy, rich, and delicious!
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 400g penne or rigatoni pasta
- 2 Tbsp Pams Pure Olive Oil
- 500g prime beef mince
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jar Pams Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce
- 1 tub Pams Finest Fresh Ricotta
- 2½ cups Pams Mozzarella Grated Natural Cheese
Method
- Preheat your oven to 190°C fan bake. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, salt generously and cook the pasta until al dente (allow approx 2 minutes less than the cooking time on the packet). Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and return to the pot.
- Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add the beef mince, stirring and breaking up any lumps, until browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes to soften.
- Reserve half a cup of pasta sauce, add the rest to the mince and simmer until warm through. Transfer the mince mixture to the pot of pasta, mix well to coat and add as much of the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Put half of the pasta in the bottom of a large baking dish. Dollop with half of the ricotta and scatter over half the mozzarella. Add the remaining pasta, top with the remaining ricotta, followed by the reserved pasta sauce, and finish with a layer of mozzarella.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly before serving.
Top tip: Instead of adding pasta water to loosen the sauce, try beef stock for a heartier flavour!
Serve alongside a crisp green salad or freshly steamed veggies.