Super Easy Baked Pasta

[ElaineHN]

My teenage son is cooking for himself a lot lately and all the great deals on pasta and sauce have been great. He's pretty good about cleaning up after himself, but with this method of cooking, it's just ONE dish ... not several pots & pans to wash.

1 jar pasta sauce w/ meat
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 box of pasta
shredded cheese
Pour jar of sauce & diced tomatoes into large casserole dish ... fill sauce jar 1/2 to 3/4 full of water ... pour this into dish and stir. Pour in about half a box of UNCOOKED pasta and stir (elbow macaronni, penne, bow-tie, whatever) ....

Cover dish with lid or foil. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. Uncover sprinkle top with cheese ... bake till cheese melts and begins to brown.


Of course you can additional meat if desired (browned ground beef, smoked sausage, pepperoni, boca crumbles, whatever you have on hand) and other ingredients such as sliced mushrooms, black olives, peppers, herbs, veggies, etc. My son likes to cook and experiment so he often adds whatever he happens to find in the cabinet or frig and usually it turns out pretty good. You can make a 'taco' version of this by using salsa instead of the diced tomatoes and adding powdered taco seasoning and jalapenos ... or a chili mac version by adding chili powder and a can of black beans.

This is a great way to use stockpiled items for a CHEAP & EASY but filling meal.

[shashabell]

This is the way I make my pasta also. Sooooo easy, quick, and clean. LOL I don't add the canned tomatoes but I may try that next time. What I do is empty the jar of sauce then fill the jar about 1/4 to 1/3 full of water and swish to get the rest of the sauce out of the jar and add that to the noodles. They seem to need that extra liquid from somewhere to help cook them so the dish doesn't dry out.

[3timesoccermom]

If he's a pasta lover here's another really simple recipe. I've been making it for 19 years. It's delicious, fast, easy and cheap. You can make it for under $2.

Noodles Parmesan
1 three oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
salt, pepper, parsley
2 tbsp. Margarine
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
½ tsp. dried basil
3 oz. thin spaghetti or other pasta
Combine 2 tablespoons of butter, cream cheese, parsley, basil, pinch of salt, and dash of pepper. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water from pasta water. Mix well and keep warm. Cook noodles, drain. Add half the parmesan cheese to the sauce, and mix the noodles to coat well. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top. Serves 2.

[PopCulture]

Pasta is so easy and quick. I usually make mine the old fashion way, but I really want to try this bake!