Cheesy Creamy Pasta Bake | White Sauce Pasta Casserole

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

cheddar cheese

🥗Healthier: reduced-fat cheddar

💰Cheaper: colby cheese

Colby cheese offers a similar flavor at a lower cost

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Grana padano is a more affordable alternative to parmesan

Cook penne pasta a few minutes short of al dente and set aside.

Add olive oil to a pan and sauté chopped onions on medium heat until translucent.

Add ground beef and ground lamb, cooking until most of the pink is gone.

Season the meat with salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, onion powder, cinnamon, and crushed garlic, and sauté for a few minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, covering but leaving the lid slightly open.

For the Bechamel sauce, melt butter in a pan over medium heat.

Add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to remove lumps.

Heat milk and heavy cream and slowly incorporate into the flour mixture, stirring to avoid clumps.

Once thickened, add freshly ground nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Turn off heat and add half a cup of grated parmesan and 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese, combining well.

Add about a cup and a half of Bechamel sauce to the cooked penne and mix.

Layer half of the penne in a baking dish, top with meat sauce, and reserve a cup of meat sauce for the final layer.

Top with mozzarella slices or shredded mozzarella cheese.

Add the remaining penne and reserved meat sauce, then cover fully with Bechamel sauce.

Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Broil for 2 minutes until golden, keeping a close eye on it.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Allergens