My fondest memories of when I was a little girl are of when we would gather around the table and have some of my mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce. It was so yummy and just hit the spot every time. She would let it cook in the crockpot for hours and just smelled better as the time ticked away taunting us as we waited for dinner time to roll around. I can only hope that my kids have the same kind of memories associated with foods that I make. I want to pass down my love of Italian food to them and the memories of gathering around the dinner table each night.
On those nights when I have an event or movie screening to attend, I share my love with them by making them a quick and easy Creamy Italian Pasta Bake. No it is no homemade sauce that has simmered all day in the crockpot, but it can still bring about yummy memories of a belly full of Italian food goodness. This recipe is so quick and easy and thanks to Ragu Extra Flavorful Hearty Traditional Sauce I can have dinner ready and waiting for my family as they come home and I head out the door.
Start by browning a pound of ground beef. Cook an 8 oz box of elbow pasta to just below being fully cooked. You will want it slightly undercooked since you will finish it in the oven. Layer in a 2 quart baking dish 1/2 cup Ragu pasta sauce, 1/2 of the pasta, half of the ground beef, 4 oz of cream cheese, and 1 cup shredded Italian Blend cheese. Repeat this process again making sure you begin and end with sauce, then topping with more shredded cheese. Place the dish on a sheet pan and bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese on top has melted.
Ragu has stuck with a family tradition by passing down the flavors and love from Aussanta Cantisano (recipe creator) and her standards of excellence when it comes to their sauce. No artificial flavors, no high fructose corn syrup… I only hope that I do my family proud with the food I serve them and they will one day follow the traditions I try to instill in them with family dinners. My Creamy Italian Pasta Bake is a recipe you can make your family over and over again and reconnect around the dinner table.
Ingredients
- 8 oz box elbow noodles
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 jar Ragu Extra Flavorful Hearty Traditional Sauce
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded Italian cheese
Instructions
- Cook the noodles until just under what it says on the package. You don't want them to be too soft since you will be baking the pasta later.
- Cook the ground beef until browned.
- Layer the 1/3 sauce, 1/2 pasta, 4 oz cream cheese, half ground beef, and 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Repeat so that you have two layers.
- Bake in oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheeses are melted.
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