OK guys, if you’ve been a listener of ours for a while then you’ve probably heard my woes in the kitchen – and how overwhelming & intimidated cooking is to me! A few months back while recording, Lauren suggested I find a few meals/recipes, and nail those. Then have a good rotation of easy, go-to staples in my house.

My boys can be picky eaters from time to time, but I know that they love baked ziti. For some reason, they don’t like spaghetti (and I think the penne noodles are so much easier to eat for kids). So, that’s the meal I decided to make my own. I cook this at least every over week and it’s SO GOOD as leftovers (maybe even better!?). I taught my 9 year old daughter how to make this last time, and honestly I just had to observe (it’s super easy!). She absolutely loves being in the kitchen and I love seeing how proud she is after making the family dinner.

This recipe makes a 9×13 dish – plenty for the whole family (with leftovers) and takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Here’s a few photos of the ingredients & process.

Ingredients:
– 1 lb ground beef (I prefer 93% lean)
– 1 jar of Rao’s Homemade Marinara sauce (**See my note below in the Instructions about the sauce)
– 1 lb of Barilla Penne Pasta
– 3 cups of Shredded Parmesan Cheese (I get the big container from Sam’s Club & just reuse it)
– Garlic Herb grinder (pictured – I do about 5 cranks on this)
– 1 tsp Dried Oregano Leaves
– 1 tsp Garlic seasoning (powder form)
– Salt to taste

Instructions:
This recipe makes a 9×13 dish – plenty for the whole family (with leftovers).

Prep your 9×13 pyrex pan by spraying with olive oil – then set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Start boiling your water for your penne noodles – adding some salt and a little bit of olive oil (optional) to the water to reduce sticking when dry.

Once the water is boiling rapidly, add the penne and cook per the instructions on the box (I prefer the al dente instructions). Remember you are going to bake this after for a bit so, you don’t want them overly cooked.

In a large skillet, spray with olive oil to prevent sticking and brown your ground beef over medium-high heat.

***Once the beef is about 90% cooked, turn the heat down to low-medium and add the jar of Rao’s marinara sauce to the meat & mix. I then supplement with a jar of Prego marinara that I keep in my fridge. Adding enough extra sauce to get the sauce to meat ratio that I like. Rao’s is expensive and I’ve done this with the Prego everytime and it’s still delicious!

Mix in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the meat mixture. Add in the Dried Oregano, Garlic Herb grinder and Garlic seasoning to the meat mixture as well. Do this to taste – I am VERY liberal with my spices. I like the sauce to have tons of flavor, so don’t be shy! The 1 tsp amounts would be a good place to start.

Cook the meat mixture on low-medium for 5 minutes, stirring frequently (or until the cheese is fully melted). Reduce to simmer while you finish noodles.

Strain the cooked penne and add to the meat mixture in the skillet. Stir well, but turn off the heat. Once the noodles & sauce are combined, pour into a 9X13 pyrex pan.

Cover the mixture with parmesan cheese and then cover with foil (again, I’m very liberal with the cheese). Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes (or until the cheese is melted). I usually remove the foil a couple minutes before taking it out to get the cheese a little brown.

Enjoy with a garlic baguette and Caesar salad!!