The Yummy Side of Life…

I’m pretty new at this whole “making up recipes” thing, so this casserole wasn’t perfect, but it was extremely comforting! But then again, when isn’t a recipe with pasta, tomatoes, beef, and cheese comforting? I did find that if you let it sit for a few minutes after bringing it out of the oven, the taste of the Italian seasoning “quiets down”  a little, and everything tastes a little more blended.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Rotini pasta
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon McCormick’s Italian Seasoning
• Salt & pepper
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided into 1 cup portions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brown beef in large sauté pan on medium heat. Drain and add back to pan.
2. Boil pasta according to directions on box. While pasta is boiling, add tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, and s&p to beef and warm through on medium heat.
3. Drain pasta and place in large mixing bowl. If any juice is left in meat mixture, drain, and add to pasta. Add 1 cup mozzarella, and fold all ingredients together.
4. Place mixture into 9×13 glass pan and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese on top. Warm in preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
5. Enjoy!