Italian Casserole

Time :1 5

Yield :8 servings

Recipe Background

Buon Appetito! In fact, with the Italian Casserole on the table, it's going to be a great evening! This home-cooked favorite whisks you away to the sunny hills and marbled blue waters of Italy on a ship of bright, sweet tomato sauce, savory beef, and tender pasta shells. A magical melt of creamy mozzarella and provolone cheeses tops the Italian Casserole like a classical column of taste that amazes the eye and the tastebuds. Enjoy your culinary vacation to Italy! Salute!

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 (24-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces drained
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups medium pasta shells
3 plum tomatoes sliced
3/4 cup provolone cheese shredded
3/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet, cook the beef and the onions over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Drain the fat from the skillet.
Stir in the spaghetti sauce, the diced tomatoes and their juices, the mushrooms, and the Italian seasoning.
Bring the beef mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Cook the pasta shells to al dente, according to the package directions.
Drain the pasta.
Add the pasta shells to the beef mixture.
Gently stir in the plum tomatoes.
Transfer the beef mixture to an ungreased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Top the beef mixture evenly with the provolone and the mozzarella.
Bake until bubbly and heated through, about 25-30 minutes.
Serve warm.