' The kids love sloppy joes and baked pasta. One of the meals they like is Sloppy Joe Manicotti, but I didn’t want to go through the effort of stuffing the manicotti shells for supper. To make this dish, I combined their favorite sloppy joes with pasta, threw on a handful of cheese and baked it in the oven until the cheese was melted. They gobbled it up.
Sloppy Joe Pasta Bake
This recipe is based on Rachael Ray’s Super Sloppy Joes
1 lb penne, ziti or rotini
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 lb ground chuck
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (I use McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
28 oz tomato sauce
3/4 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Combine grill seasoning and brown sugar in a small bowl.
Add oil and meat to the pan and sprinkle with the seasoning mixture. Cook until the meat has browned, then add onion and red peppers to the skillet.
Reduce heat to medium. Add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and cook for five minutes.
Add tomato sauce to the pan and stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes longer. When the onions are soft, add the pasta to the skillet and mix well.
Spray a 9″x13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put the pasta mixture in the pan, and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional five to ten minutes, or until the cheese is melted to the point you like it.
Serve with a nice big salad, or with veggies sticks (which my kids prefer).
