Foodie Friday Farfalle Cassrole
If there is an issue finding ground beef, this can be made with ground turkey or vegetarian with "Impossible" or "Beyond" or other vegetarian substitute textured vegetable protein (TVP) soy crumbles, or just leave the added protein out.
Farfalle Pasta Casserole (Prep. time 45 minutes. Serves about 12 depending on the size of the scoop.)
8 oz. (1/2 box) Farfalle (bowtie) pasta
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 C. roughly diced mushrooms
1 can ready to serve cream of mushroom soup (If you only have the condensed, empty it in a bowl and mix with a half can of milk.)
1 C. ricotta cheese
1 C. shredded mild cheddar
3-4 slices of American cheese, cut into thin strips
½ lb. ground beef browned, but still a little rare since it will continue to cook in the casserole
1 Tb. oregano
½ Tb. basil
1 C. shredded Colby jack cheese to top
(Parsley to garnish)
Bring salted water to a boil in a large sauce pan while you prepare the vegetables and brown the beef. Heat oven to 375. Spray a cake/casserole pan with cooking spray. Once the farfalle is al dente, drain it well and dump it into the casserole. Stir in the beef, bell pepper, mushrooms, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Stir in the ricotta, cheddar and American cheese. Fold in the mushroom soup, making sure all the pasta is covered. Sprinkle the Colby jack cheese on top. Bake for a half hour until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted and a little browned.
Cool for a few minutes before serving.
You can make it a little more colorful by garnishing with a little chopped parsley.