This Baked Pasta Recipe May Knock Your Socks Off!

We have been working feverishly getting the little yellow cottage ready for Christmas.  So much decorating to do!  Last night I was tired and wanted something easy to fix for dinner.  I decided to try this recipe I found on Pinterest last week because, well, it sounded yummy.

The recipe is for baked spaghetti, but I am not a big fan of spaghetti.  I like heartier pastas that grab the sauce and have some "chew" to them.  I had penne, so that is what I chose to use.  If you want to use spaghetti, feel free to do so.

Here is what you need.

12 ounces pasta, cooked according to directions

1 pound ground beef

one medium onion, diced

one clove garlic minced

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I grate fresh, prefer it to canned)

1 8 oz block of cream cheese

salt and pepper

I added these two ingredients

a couple pinches of red pepper flakes

mozzarella cheese for the top of the casserole

Cook your pasta according to directions.  Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic.  Salt and pepper to taste.  When beef is browned, drain.  Add the jar of marinara sauce and heat.  Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to sauce when it is bubbling until cheese melts.  Add parmesan cheese and stir to mix.  Spray a 9x13 casserole with cooking spray.  Place drained pasta in casserole dish.  Cover with marinara sauce and stir to mix well.  Grate some parmesan over top of casserole and add mozzarella.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Oh my goodness good!

We had this quick and easy baked pasta with a green salad and crusty bread.   Our youngest son joined us for dinner and he and Dan agreed this was one of the best pasta dishes they had ever eaten.  Yes, it is fantastically good.  The cream cheese makes the sauce creamy and delicious and causes the sauce to adhere to the pasta in a wonderfully delicious way.

Give this recipe a try the next time you want something quick and easy.  You will make it again.  I know I am going to!  Enjoy,

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

 “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” ~ Fellini

Ding Ding Ding, We Have a Winner

You may get tired of my posts about things to bake, but I really love to bake.  I find it comforting.  It is sort of like a meditation to me.  If I am really stressed, I bake.  There is something soothing about the measuring and the mixing - following the recipe. The one thing about baking is there is no room for improvising - you need to follow the recipe for the proper outcome.  I sometimes wish life had this same kind of recipe book, don't you?  But then, I guess it would take a lot of the wonder and creativity of daily living away.   

This cupcake recipe is maybe the best cupcake ever as far as we are concerned and we have tried many.  (believe me)  This rich chocolate cupcake is filled with a cream cheese and chocolate chip filling that is like a little cheesecake in the middle of chocolate heaven.  Dan, who is a "chocoholic" will verify the goodness of these heavenly morsels.  

Now, they are a little tricky to make.  You have to make the batter and the filling separately.  Here is what you do:

Ingredients for cupcakes:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup water

Ingredients for filling:

6 ounces cream cheese softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

To make the cupcake batter, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips over hot water (double boiler) until smooth.  Set aside.  Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Combine sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla.  Stir in melted chips.  Alternate 1 cup water and flour mixture while adding to sugar/oil/egg/vanilla/chips mixture.   This is a runny batter so don't be alarmed.

Make filling by combining all ingredients.   

Line muffin tin with 16 cupcake papers.  Spoon 1 TBSP of cake batter in bottom of cupcake papers.  Spoon  1 heaping TBSP filling over chocolate cake batter like this.  If there is remaining filling, distribute evenly among cupcakes.

Now, add another heaping TBSP cake batter over filling like this.

If there is remaining cake batter, distribute evenly among cupcakes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

I have made a chocolate glaze for these before and then sprinkled with confectioner's sugar but it is not necessary.  It  just makes them more "chocolatey."  Is that a word?  It is now.  

This recipe doubles nicely and you will probably want to do that because 16 of these cupcakes won't last long enough to put the supplies and cooking utensils away.  They are really nice to take to a pot luck or picnic.  Need something to share at work?  Perfect!  If you have children at home, I'm just sayin'.   No icing to melt and they are YUMMY!  

Next time you are feeling stressed, try baking.  It will do wonders for your spirit and your taste buds (not so much for your waistline unfortunately).  Go ahead, give these a try.  I know you are going to like these!  Chocolate!  Cheesecake!  What's not to like?  I'm heading to the kitchen now and preheating the oven.   

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

It's not what happens to you that counts, but how you handle it. It's not how far you fall, but how well you bounce~Dan Zadra