Best Penne With Cheesy Meat Sauce Recipes

PENNE PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook the penne pasta: Heat to boiling a large pot with 4 quarts of water in it. Once the water is boiling, salt it with 2 Tbsp of salt. Once the water returns to a boil add the pasta to the pot. Leave uncovered, let cook on high heat with a vigorous boil. Put the timer on for 8-10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package says is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain.

PENNE WITH CHEESY MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook penne until done; rinse and drain.
• Meanwhile, brown ground beef in large skillet; remove from pan and drain. In same skillet, sauté garlic (and mush rooms) in olive oil. Return meat to skillet with mush rooms over low heat; add tomato sauce, pepper, and basil.
• Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons milk; mix in remaining milk. Add to meat and stir over low heat until slightly thickened. Add processed cheese slices and stir until melted. Toss with hot pasta. Sprinkle generously with parmesan.
• You can replace the penne with fusilli or elbow macaroni. Use just about any kind of cheese you want. Tex mex worked very well.

CHEESY SPINACH BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mist a 2 to 2 1/2-quart rectangular or oval baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook according to package directions for al dente.
• While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil sprig, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, lowering the heat if the sauce bubbles too vigorously, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the flavors have blended together and the raw tomato taste has cooked out, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the basil and season with additional salt and pepper. Pour over the cooked pasta and toss well to coat. Add the cubed mozzarella and transfer half the pasta to the prepared baking dish.
• Put the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan and pulse two to three times. Combine half the cottage cheese mixture with the spinach and mix to break up the spinach. Drop in spoonfuls over the pasta in the baking dish. Top the spinach layer with the rest of the pasta and then the remaining cottage cheese mixture.
• Bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, and then scatter the torn basil over the top.

CHEESY PENNE

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, cook until al dente, and drain. Return pasta to the saucepan.
• Whisk milk with Dijon in small bowl and add to the pot with cooked pasta, along with cream and grated Cheddar. Stir over medium-low heat until the cheese melts and the mixture is nice and thick. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve. Happy indulging!

HEARTY PENNE BEEF

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in tomato puree, broth, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes. Add spinach; cook until wilted, 1-2 minutes. , Drain pasta; stir into beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pasta mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add broth or water if necessary.

PENNE IN CREAMY GARLIC CHEESE SAUCE (WW)

Steps:

• In large pot of boiling water, cook garlic 3 minutes, until softened.
• With slotted spoon, remove garlic from water.
• Mince garlic; set aside.
• In same pot of boiling water, cook broccoli 3 minutes, until bright green and just softened.
• With slotted spoon, remove broccoli from water; set aside.
• In same pot of boiling water, cook penne 8-10 minutes, until tender.
• Drain, discarding liquid; set aside.
• Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, with wire whisk, combine milk and flour, blending until flour is dissolved.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk, 4 minutes, until mixture is bubbling and thickened; stir in minced garlic.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Add cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, pepper and salt to milk mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until cheeses are melted.
• Stir in cooked broccoli and penne; cook, stirring frequently, just until heated through.
• SERVING (1 1/2 CUPS) PROVIDES: 1 Milk, 1 1/2 Vegetables, 1 Protein, 2 Breads, 10 Optional Calories.
• PER SERVING: 384 Calories, 6 g Total Fat, 4 g Saturated Fat, 21 mg Cholesterol, 590 mg Sodium, 56 g Total Carbohydrate, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 27 g Protein, 673 mg Calcium; 7 points.