Beef, Cheese and Noodle Bake

This is genuine comfort food, cheesy and meaty.  Use whatever pasta you like - I've used egg noodles and farfalle.  Great for leftovers too.  I've resisted the urge to add mushrooms because I think it would be a bit much.

8 servings

7 calculated points

Chardonnay

Ingredients

• 8-ounces pasta (your choice)
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup pre-chopped onion
• 1 cup pre-shredded carrot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 pound lean ground sirloin
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1½ cups (6 ounces) 2% reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Lightly coat pasta with cooking spray.

Heat a Dutch oven or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray or olive oil. Add onion and carrot, and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 × 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir. Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.