The Budget-Friendly 5-Ingredient Pasta Bake My Family Asks Me For All the Time

Even after all these years, it's still our favorite weeknight dinner.

By
Sara Haas, RDN, LDN
Sara Haas
Sara Haas, RDN, LDN
Sara Haas, RDN, LDN, is a food and nutrition expert with formal culinary training. She works as a writer, recipe developer, food photographer, media authority, public speaker, and consultant dietitian/chef. Former culinary and nutrition instructor and National Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson. 
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Published November 16, 2025
Sara Haas
5-ingredient pasta bake

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Why Make This

  • This pasta bake comes together with just five easy-to-find, budget-friendly ingredients.
  • Swapping meat for veggies or trying different cheeses lets you customize the dish every time.

Many of the early dates with my husband involved a trip to the grocery store. It wasn’t like a romantic movie where the stars leave the store with a wrinkle-free brown bag full of the best food and a bottle of fancy cabernet sauvignon. We were broke college grads buying generic foods on sale and maybe a fresh tomato. We managed to make some decent meals.

One of the biggest successes of the time was this simple pasta bake. It was loosely based on a recipe I found on a random internet search.

The ingredients—pasta, sauce, ground beef, cheese, and cottage cheese—were readily available at any grocery store and the bill was substantially lower than going to an Italian restaurant. It was also simple to make: parboil the pasta, then toss with the sauce and the cooked ground beef. Layer the pasta in a casserole with dollops of cottage cheese—the recipe called for ricotta, but cottage cheese was easier to find and more affordable—and mozzarella. Then we baked it until bubbly. It was reliable, affordable, and so delicious. 

My husband loves pasta, so this baked pasta has always been a winner. Even today, it's the one dish my family asks me to make for them all the time. It's our favorite.

5 ingredients to make my family's pasta bake

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Ground Beef and Penne Pasta Bake

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Resting Time 10 mins
Total Time 65 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • 1 (24-ounce) jar tomato sauce

  • 1 (16-ounce) container 2% or whole milk cottage cheese

  • 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Italian blend cheese

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 
  2. Boil the pasta:

    Fill a large pot with water, add salt, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes or 1 to 2 minutes before the cooking time recommended on the package. The pasta will still be firm. Drain the pasta into a colander set in the sink.

  3. Brown the meat:

    In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook it, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. If you'd like, drain the excess fat.

  4. Combine the pasta and sauce:

    Stir the pasta sauce into the ground beef and cook until warm, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.

  5. Add mixture to casserole dish and bake:

    Pour half of the mixture into a 13x9-inch casserole. Make dollops of cottage cheese on top, then cover with half of the shredded cheese. Spread the remaining pasta on top and finish with the remaining shredded cheese evenly scattered on top.

    Bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

    Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave in 30-second increments until heated through.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
394 Calories
19g Fat
25g Carbs
29g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 394
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 9g 43%
Cholesterol 75mg 25%
Sodium 864mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 6mg 32%
Calcium 272mg 21%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 562mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.