Easy Cheesy Beautiful Pasta Skillet

Easy Cheesy Beautiful Pasta Skillet — Yes, it’s earned all of these adjectives, and then some! Why? Well, this hearty weeknight dinner recipe packs all of the taste of lasagna into a super easy, super kid-pleasing, 30 minute meal.

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What would you say if I told you that you could easily re-create the taste of lasagna… in a 30 minute weeknight dinner recipe on your stove top? Oh yes, you can! This Easy Cheesy Beautiful Pasta Skillet satisfies those lasagna cravings nicely, but with just a fraction of the time and effort.

You’ll want to use a shaped pasta that’s not too big for this recipe. Farfalle (bowtie) pasta worked out really nicely, and is oh-so-pretty in the final dish. This is the exact cheesy, meaty dinner of my children’s dreams, I tell you…

This one took me a couple of tries to get right, but no worries — even the experiments don’t usually go to waste in this house, and my eager teenage helpers took care of the earlier attempts. Everyone agrees, though: This latest effort wins. (And did I mention: EASY?!)

Oh, and — you can use your leftover mozzarella and ricotta in this easy ricotta frittata with spinach & mushrooms! Win-win.

Easy Cheesy Beautiful Pasta Skillet

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 of a medium yellow onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
12 oz box of shaped pasta (I used farfalle)
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
24 oz jar pasta sauce
8 oz ricotta
4 oz shredded mozzarella

Directions

Start salted water boiling for pasta, and chop your onion and garlic.

Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is cooked through, breaking up as you go. Drain.

While the beef is cooking, shred the mozzarella (if not using pre-shredded) and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.

Reduce heat to medium low under the skillet. Stir the seasonings into the drained ground beef. Stir in the pasta sauce and ricotta, then continue to simmer the beef mixture over medium-low heat until the pasta is done (about eight minutes), stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is done, drain and stir the cooked pasta right into the ground beef mixture. Top everything evenly with shredded mozzarella.

Cover the skillet. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for another five minutes to melt the mozzarella, then serve.

Optional: Top with Parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Note: I used ALDI’s Reggano simply marinara sauce here, which I like because it’s flavorful, affordable, and contains no added sugars. Even with prepared sauce, though, I always like to punch things up a little with extra garlic and oregano.

Tastes like lasagna!

Do you have teenage boys in your house? I’m telling you: Make this one tonight. Seriously. Middle School Guy’s direct quote was “This tastes just like lasagna! I love it so much! Make it again tomorrow!” All righty, then, this recipe is definitely a keeper. Tastes like lasagna and done in 30 minutes? I’ll take it. This easy pasta skillet is the perfect comfort food for a busy weeknight.

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Easy Cheesy Beautiful Pasta Skillet

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Easy Cheesy Beautiful Pasta Skillet — Yes, it’s earned all of these adjectives, and then some! Why? Well, this hearty weeknight dinner recipe packs all of the taste of lasagna into a super easy, super kid-pleasing, 30 minute meal.

Course dinner

Cuisine pasta

Keyword 30 minute meals, farfalle, mozzarella, pasta, pasta skillet, skillet

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Rachel Singer

Equipment

large skillet

grater

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 of a medium yellow onion diced
• 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 cloves
• 12 oz box of shaped pasta I used farfalle
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 24 oz jar pasta sauce
• 8 oz ricotta
• 4 oz shredded mozzarella

Instructions

• Start salted water boiling for pasta, and chop your onion and garlic.
• Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is cooked through, breaking up as you go. Drain.
• While the beef is cooking, shred the mozzarella (if not using pre-shredded) and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
• Reduce heat to medium low under the skillet. Stir the seasonings into the drained ground beef. Stir in the pasta sauce and ricotta, then continue to simmer the beef mixture over medium-low heat until the pasta is done (about eight minutes), stirring occasionally.
• When the pasta is done, drain and stir the cooked pasta right into the ground beef mixture. Top everything evenly with shredded mozzarella.
• Cover the skillet. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for another five minutes to melt the mozzarella, then serve.
• Optional: Top with Parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes

I used ALDI’s Reggano simply marinara sauce here, which I like because it’s flavorful, affordable, and contains no added sugars. Even with prepared sauce, though, I always like to punch things up a little with extra garlic and oregano.

Recipes in the real world

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!