Yummy Penne Pie

A couple of weeks ago I had the Today Show on and I happened to see Katie Lee prepare the Penne Pie.  It looked delicious and the cast all seemed to love it.  It seemed pretty easy to prepare so I decided to cook it for dinner.

I didn't have a 9x3 cake pan so I improvised and used a Corning Ware dish with similar dimensions.  It worked out perfectly as it also provided me a cover once we were finished eating.  Snap!  :)

Here's the recipe....

Penne Pie

1 pound penne pasta

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 large eggs

2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store bought) (I used store bought)

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley (I left this out because I didn't have any)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Grease a 9x3 inch cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add penne pasta and cook three to four minutes less than the package recommends so that it is very al dente.  Drain and reserve a small amount of pasta water. I totally forgot this step.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the beef (or turkey).  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.  Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium heat and saute onions until translucent, about four or five minutes.  Remove from heat.

In a large bowl whisk eggs, marinara, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper and two tablespoons reserved pasta water.  Add cooked penne, beef and onions.  Toss to evenly coat.  Transfer to prepared cake pan.  Top with mozzarella and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.  Let sit 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

It was delicious!  I will most definitely be adding this recipe to my collection.

I think it would make a nice and easy dinner to serve for family and/or friends.  And it came together rather quickly.

Take care and have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

xoxoxo

Debbie