
Get the Recipe! Tips and Tricks for “Upgrading” Your Ground Beef Pasta Bakes Alternately, she suggests that you can use store-bought, fresh or frozen meatballs (which can be a great time-savings and also allow you to choose leaner, healthier options for this ziti pasta casserole). Instead of stirring your cooked, crumbled ground beef throughout your pasta bake, how about studding your casserole with yummy meatballs? This recipe includes directions for making your own homemade meatballs, but note that she mentions she likes to choose leaner meats. So drool your way through this hand-picked list of bloggers’ very best baked pasta recipes with ground beef … and feel good knowing that you can make these comforting meals straight up, or use some handy tweaks to modify them for your own healthy eating goals.Īnd get ready for all those happy, smiling faces around the dinner table tonight!

Pssssst … Don’t miss all my tips at the end of this article! This type of comfort food really can have a place in today’s more modern, nutrition-focused meals. Many of these recipes suggest optional ways to leverage leaner meats or lower-fat dairy, strategies for working in extra veggies and whole grain pastas, or tips for making the meal gluten free and even dairy free if needed. You might also be surprised how many of the recipes in my list below offer optional tweaks, tips, and “upgrades” for those of us who want to revel in all the comfort-food vibes, but keep things a little lighter and healthier, too! I hear ya on that … but I also know that sometimes this is the kind of food we all just relentlessly crave. Now, I know that you guys might be surprised to find beefy, cheesy pasta bakes highlighted here, on a recipe blog where we normally focus on healthy recipes. Easy weeknight dinner options that’ll make your hectic life a little bit less stressful, a little bit more blissful. Usually, this type of pasta casserole can be prepped ahead – often even frozen for later. Everyone is smiling! And making lots of those mmmmmmm sounds. Mmmmmm … perfectly al dente pasta draped in a rich meat sauce with flavorful Italian seasoning and melty cheese. Good ol’ beefy pasta bakes are classics for a reason … because they pretty much guarantee those happy faces and second helpings. It just feels terrific to serve up some hugs on a plate, doesn’t it? And to see the smiling, happy faces around the table as everybody digs in (and asks for seconds!).

There’s nothing like welcoming your family home to a comforting meal you know they’ll love.
