Welcome!

Welcome to Simple Fare, Fairly Simple. This is a place for me to post recipes of all kinds...along with other miscellaneous fodder from my so-called life here in the south. Who knows what you will find here. Could be anything from my husband...known as IT Guy...to my kids and beautiful grandbabies that are growing up way too fast right before my eyes. But...mostly this will be a place for food. I hope you'll see something you like and if you decide to try something from the list...leave me a comment and let me know!



Thursday, October 15, 2015

Cheesy Rotini Bake

Pasta is a family favorite around the SFFS house!  What's nice about this dish is that it's similar to lasagna without all the intense layering. I've decided one thing about myself and that is I'm not a froo-froo kinda gal. Anything I can make with little to no fuss, I'm all about that, which is one reason I like this dish. This went over like gang-busters in my house....IT Guy even took some to work with him for lunch a couple of days. It makes a lot so if you need to feed a large family or a crowd...or you like leftovers....then this is the dish for YOU! Oh...and it's delicious!

Cheesy Rotini Bake



1 pound ground beef
1 small onion ~ diced
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
1 23-ounce jar pasta sauce
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt ~ divided use
1 teaspoon pepper ~ divided use
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning ~ divided use
8 ounces Rotini pasta ~ cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cooked until meat is done.

Pour in the pasta sauce and heat through.

Mix together the ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Spread 2 cups of the meat mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Add half of the Rotini pasta then sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

Dollop large spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the mozzarella.

Add more sauce and repeat until all ingredients are used.

Cover with foil and bake about 30 - 45 minutes until bubbly.

Here we go! 

Here we go!

Saute the onion and garlic then add the ground beef. 

Saute the onion and garlic 
then add the ground beef.

Stir in the pasta sauce and heat through. 

Stir in the pasta sauce and heat through.

Mix up the ricotta, egg, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. 

Mix up the ricotta, egg, Italian 
seasoning and salt and pepper.

Spread some sauce in the bottom of the pan then add some pasta. 

Spread some sauce in the bottom 
of the pan then add some pasta.

Then dollop some ricotta on top and sprinkle with some mozzarella. 

Then dollop some ricotta on top 
and sprinkle with some mozzarella.

Repeat until all ingredients are used. 

Repeat until all ingredients are used.

Then bake! 

Then bake!

Then eat! 

Then eat!