Million Dollar Pasta Bake with Cheesy Meat Sauce
Ingredients
1 pound penne, macaroni or rotini pasta, cooked to package instructions.
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 ounces of cottage cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 pound lean ground beef, or ground sausage
1 red bell pepper, diced
24 ounces of pasta/marinara sauce (or more if you like lots of sauce)
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
Extra minced parsley for garnish or fresh minced basil (optional)
Directions
Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish.
In a bowl, beat eggs, parsley, sour cream, parmesan cheese, and cottage cheese. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add garlic and onions and cook until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef and cook for about 2 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until beef is cooked through. Remove from heat and add pasta sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir until everything is combined well and set aside.
Add a thin layer of the meat/sauce mixture in the baking dish. Add half the cooked pasta in an even layer, then add half of the cottage cheese mixture, spreading it evenly across the pasta. Add half of the mozzarella cheese evenly on top. Add the remaining half of the pasta, and then add the remaining half of the cottage cheese mixture.
Pour the remaining meat/sauce mixture on top and spread it into an even layer on top of the casserole. Add remaining mozzarella cheese in an even layer over top. (Final layers from bottom to top—thin bit of meat sauce, pasta, cottage cheese mix, mozzarella, pasta, cottage cheese mix, majority of the meat sauce, mozzarella).
Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top. Allow casserole to cook about 5 minutes before serving. Top with minced parsley or minced basil, if desired. Enjoy!