Serves: 6–8
Prep: 20 min
Bake: 25–30 min
Oven: 190°C / 375°F
Ingredients
500 g ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 can (400 g) diced tomatoes
500–600 g tomato/pasta sauce
1 cup sweet corn, drained
450 g cooked pasta — penne, rigatoni, or rotini
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp chili flakes, optional
200 g shredded mozzarella
150 g shredded cheddar
½ cup Parmesan
Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Cook the beef
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.
Add the vegetables
Add onion and bell pepper and cook for 4–5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
Make the sauce
Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Simmer for 8–10 minutes.
Combine with pasta
Cook pasta until just shy of al dente. Drain and mix it with the beef sauce.
Layer the casserole
Grease a large baking dish. Add half the pasta mixture, then a layer of mozzarella and cheddar. Add the remaining pasta and finish with the remaining cheeses and Parmesan.
Bake
Cover loosely with foil and bake at 190°C / 375°F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5–10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
Finish
Rest for 5–10 minutes, then sprinkle generously with fresh chopped parsley.
🔥 For the dish in your photo
To get that particularly gooey, browned, loaded-cheese appearance, I’d use mozzarella + cheddar, put a generous amount of meat sauce around the edges, and finish with fresh parsley after baking.
Optional upgrade: Add sliced mushrooms, zucchini, or a little cream cheese to the sauce for an extra-rich casserole.