Stuffed Pepper Pasta

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound short cut pasta (such as rotini, penne, bow ties or rigatoni)

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey or ground chicken or meat of choice

2 bell peppers (diced)

1 yellow onion (diced)

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

28 ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Start the pasta water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, bell pepper, onion and seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the beef, until it’s browned and the vegetables are soft—about 10 minutes.

Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Let it simmer while the pasta cooks.

Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook 1 minute less than package directions for al dente texture. Drain well.

Mix the drained pasta with the beef and pepper mixture until everything is coated.

Add half of the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Layer the remaining pasta on top. Finish with another 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Place the dish in the oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 510 kcal
• Total Fat: 22 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 69 mg
• Sodium: 989 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 52 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 25 g