Don’t Try This at Home… Italian Grandmas Would Slap Me for This Pasta Bake!!

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Part-skim mozzarella reduces fat while maintaining meltiness.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, and ground pork is often less expensive.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast is a dairy-free option, while grana padano is a less expensive cheese.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil is healthier, while vegetable oil is often cheaper.

Boil water and add a pinch of sea salt.

Add pen pasta to boiling water and cook for one minute less than packet instructions.

Dice the onion and garlic.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the diced onion, cooking until softened.

Add Italian sausage meat to the skillet and brown it, breaking it apart.

Add garlic to the skillet after the sausage has browned.

Drain the cooked pasta.

Add canned whole tomatoes to the skillet and cut them up with scissors.

Stir in a couple of tablespoons of tomato puree and a little sugar to balance acidity.

Add black pepper and optional chili flakes, then simmer for about 10 minutes.

Make a white sauce by melting butter in a pan, adding flour, and whisking in milk until thickened.

Season the white sauce with black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

Assemble the dish in an 8x8 glass dish, layering pasta, white sauce, and cheese.

Bake in the oven at 190°C for about 25 minutes, removing the top foil halfway through.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens