Ground Beef Casserole

Serving spoon lifting up a serving to show stringy cheese pull.

5 from 152 votes

Ground beef pasta is a favorite family meal and is easy to make in just a few steps. You can't go wrong with meat, sauce, pasta, and cheese!

Course Dinner, Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 411kcal

Author Yumna Jawad

Equipment

Ingredients

16 ounces penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion diced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves minced
1 25-ounce jar marinara sauce store-bought or homemade
¼ cup Fresh basil torn, plus more for garnishing
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente according to package instructions. Drain, reserve ½ cup pasta water, and transfer the pasta to a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large deep skillet over medium-high, heat the olive oil. Add the ground beef and onions and season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook the ground beef and onions, breaking up the beef into smaller pieces with the back of a wooden spoon until browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 more minute. Stir in the marinara and basil, then transfer the sauce on top of the pasta in the baking dish and toss gently to combine. Add as much of the reserved pasta water as desired until the sauce looks glossy.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Notes

Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and you can reheat it in the oven or microwave. Freeze up to 3 months and bake from frozen by adding an additional 20 minutes to the cook time.

Nutrition