Ground Beef Spiral Bake

Name: Ground Beef Spiral Bake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 2 casseroles (8 servings each).
Ingredients: 1 package (16 ounces) spiral pasta; 2 pounds ground beef; 2/3 cup chopped onion; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 2 jars (26 ounces each) spaghetti sauce; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

“We got this recipe from a restaurant cook who lived in the duplex beside my mother-in-law," recalls Monika Rahn of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. "It was one of his favorites. It’s easy to make, tastes just great and freezes well. Both my mother-in-law and her neighbor are gone now, but this recipe always brings back happy memories!”

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) spiral pasta
2 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 jars (26 ounces each) spaghetti sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes.
Stir pasta into meat mixture. Transfer to two greased 13x9-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle each with 2 cups cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.
Bake the remaining casserole, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.
To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition Facts

3/4 cup: 359 calories, 15g fat (6g saturated fat), 54mg cholesterol, 627mg sodium, 32g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 3g fiber), 23g protein.

Originally published as Dick's Italian Cavetinni in Simple & Delicious January/February 2008

Reviews

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Average Rating:

germanycook

Feb 5, 2015

Good and easy, but really nothing amazing.
Kyrgyz_girl

Oct 3, 2014

Delicious!
sjmdam

Feb 24, 2014

We loved this one pretty easy to make! I love having the 2nd one. When I make this I plan a visit to my oldest daughters and give it to her to bake her family they love it too!
ohyeah40

Oct 16, 2012

oops i forgot to say i added a small can of mushrooms too. yummy!
ohyeah40

Oct 16, 2012

I love this recipe. I didnt make two. I tweeked it though, I added a tablespoon of italian seasoning, garlic salt, a cup-cup 1/2 of water half a box of spirals. i used a 32 oz Classico spagetti sauce fire roasted i think. next time i'll use rotelle instead of rotini. but we loved it. this is a every other week meal from now on. i took a pic and i wish i could post it.
E.Green

Oct 7, 2011

Awesome dish!! Everyone in the family loved it, and the kids don't even like italian. I will definitely make this again.
tchr90

Sep 19, 2011

My husband loves this casserole! I like that I can make a meal and have a second casserole to freeze! Sometimes I substitute Hunt's Chunky Vegetable Pasta Sauce for the spaghetti sauce as my husband prefers it made using the pasta sauce. (I also like the recipe but can't eat much of it due to having GERD.)