Happy Father's Day to all the amazing father's out there! I got to see mi papa for a few moments today, and it was as always a beautiful moment. If you tried the last Puerto Rican Pasta Bake recipe (a twist on the baked ziti), you'll love this recipe too. No ricotta cheese, but still a ton of flavor. This rustic Puerto Rican beef and sausage pasta bake recipe is simple to throw together and super hearty!
What makes an awesome pasta dish? Is it the pasta? The meat? The fresh herbs? The sofrito?! I'm not sure, but I love that pasta is like a blank canvas. Pasta knows no bounds. You can make an elegant Bucatini all'Amatriciana or my mom's budget Vienna sausage pasta recipe and it can be amazing. I'm tempted to say it's the sauce that makes the pasta dish!
My Italian mother in law refuses to use jarred spaghetti sauce. It's like a sin in her house. Me? Eh, I can appreciate a good spaghetti sauce from a jar (my favorite is Newman's sockarooni...try it, you won't regret it).
For this Rustic Puerto Rican Beef and Sausage Pasta Bake, you first ground your beef and your Italian sausage. As always, season your meat while cooking with the Puerto Rican classic ingredients and do.not.forget your sofrito! Then add in your pasta sauce.
Stir it all together, and at this point, taste it to see if it needs some more salt and pepper. Told you, the sauce makes the pasta dish!
Next you're going to add in your pasta (I used egg noodles), and give it a good toss. Then add it to a greased baking pan. Top it with shredded cheese and a few whole grape or calamati tomatoes for a rustic feel. I didn't go crazy with the cheese, just enough to give it a nice taste. The star of this dish is the meat sauce. We then bake it until the cheese is bubbly and tada, tiempo para comer.
That's it mi gente. This Rustic Puerto Rican Beef and Sausage Pasta Bake is perfect for a weeknight dinner that can be put together in less than an hour. (Prep to finish.) Double this recipe and you have a great freezer recipe option or leftovers for the next day! Be sure to share this recipe on Facebook and with your friends. As always, buen provecho and come again.
Rustic Puerto Rican beef and Sausage Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 1 pound of Italian ground sausage
- 1 tablespoon of Adobo
- 1 tablespoon of Sazon Complete
- 2 tablespoons of sofrito
- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
- 12 ounces of egg noodles cooked al dente
- 6 calamati tomatoes whole
- ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- parsley or cilantro for garnish optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large pan over medium high heat, warm oil and add sausage, ground beef, and seasonings to the pan and brown.
- Next, add in sofrito and cook for an additional minute.
- Lower heat to medium and stir in spaghetti sauce. Turn off heat.
- Fold in egg noodles, being sure to coat it well.
- To a well greased 11x7 (or 9x13) pan, add in the pasta mixture. Top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Remove from the oven, garnish with cilantro or parsley (optional) and serve.
Nutrition
