Sunday, January 5, 2014

PIONEER WOMAN BOWTIE LASAGNA


MAKE THIS RECIPE.  Seriously, make this now.  Even if you've never cooked before in your life, you can make this pasta.  It is foolproof.  The Pioneer Woman has a section of 16 minute meals on her website, and I am so glad this is the one I chose to make.  It was easy, quick and so flavorful.  I'm making it again this week!  It would be the perfect "leftovers lunch" to bring to work.  Original recipe here, including the always fabulous PW step by step photos.

This recipe calls for "your favorite" jarred pasta sauce, so make sure you don't choose blindly.  If you make your own sauce, definitely use it.  Someone recommended Rao's pasta sauce, but it had an $8.99 price tag at Target.  It was surrounded by several other brands which were selling for between $1-3 a jar.  I really do think Prego is delicious; it's what I always purchase.  But this meal was already a bargain, so I decided to splurge.  OH. MY.  Let me tell you, it was beyond worth it.  I don't think I'll ever purchase any other brand.  This sauce was legit.  I could actually taste and smell the herbs and it was a perfect consistency.

The jar was too messy to take a pic of; my sister dropped it in the skillet!

I followed the recipe, except for a few tiny adjustments.  I added a full cup of mozzarella, a tad more sour cream and I used the entire 16 oz box of pasta.  It was the perfect amount to feed four hungry adults.

Ingredients

1 lb bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground chuck
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup sour cream

Boil pasta in large pot of salted water until al dente, drain.  In large skillet, brown and crumble ground chuck until fully cooked, drain fat and return to pan.  Pour cooked pasta on top of meat, then drizzle on olive oil.  Pour on jar of sauce, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasonings.  Stir.  Add cheese and sour cream.  Stir over low heat until cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.  Serve with parmesan or additional mozzarella, if desired.

This pasta makes me so happy. 

28 comments:

  1. YUM!!! Andrew and I are in love. He would have gone for thirds if I hadn't reminded him we had ice cream to save room for.

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    1. Yes! So glad you and Andy enjoyed it. We had it again for dinner tonight and had to use lots of willpower when it came to portion control. Already looking forward to lunchtime leftovers tomorrow!

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    2. omg this is amazing.

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  2. Instead of the pasta sauce pic, I wish you had taken a pic of either your face or Liz's when she dropped the jar into the skillet. Bwahaha.

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  3. I just tried and and it was heavenly! I went with your sauce recommendation. I've actually never tried ANY canned tomato sauce because I typically don't go for recipes that are tomato based. However, incorporating the cream cheese into this made it not overwhelmingly tomato-y. Love it!

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    1. Rao's has found another convert! Happy to hear you enjoyed it as much as I do.

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    2. Hmm, Liz, I don't see cream cheese listed in the recipe, though? When do I addition, and how much?

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  4. Just made this and it was delicious!! A new staple in my house :)

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    1. It's a staple in our house as well :) Didn't have any ground beef on hand last week, so made it with frozen beef filled ravioli instead. Another hit!

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  5. Katie, should the Rao's sauce pic say 3 Cups instead of 3 jars?

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    1. Since my jar got dropped in the skillet, I used a picture from the website. It's advertising a pack of 3 jars for purchase. The recipe states 1 jar, or 3 cups homemade. If you love sauce you could certainly use 3 jars and a very, very large skillet!

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  6. I made this tonight with a few little modifications: ground turkey instead of beef, nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, a smidge less salt, and no oil. I also didn't have the pasta ready in time, so I added that last. Everything turned out great--we LOVED it!! Thanks for sharing! :)

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  7. Currently making this as I type! I know its going to come out delicious. Also using turkey :)

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  8. Used Turkey, added spinach. Delicious!

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  9. Made this and it was great! Got Rao ' s on sale for 3.99. Going back to the store to clean out their stock! Fantastic!

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    1. $3.99?! That is the deal of the century. Good find!

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  10. Super easy and delicious!!! The only thing I changed was adding half the sour cream and served with parmesan cheese. My kids went back for seconds, will definitely make again!

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  11. Can you provide Calorie count, and serving size along with nutritional values? Thank You...

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  12. Excited to try! Any recommendations for freezing?

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    1. I am wondering the same thing since it’s just me at home.

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  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  14. Rao's sauce IS amazing. 7 bucks a jar in California though. This recipe is really good. I used ground turkey, did not swirl oil over it and used greek nonfat yogurt and it was fabulous. We have leftovers as well for the week! Yum and thank you!

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  15. Just made this for dinner, and my 2 and 3 year old loved it! I used a jar of Prego and added a tablespoon of sugar to balance out the acidity of the sauce. I will definitely be making this again!

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  16. A friend brought this to a ladies church dinner and it was a real hit. Everyone wanted the recipe. The lady made garlic toast to go with it and she did not have to take any of it home. The meal was a real success and a treat for ladies that have been shut in for so long.

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  17. Hi! idk if my other comment posted but can i use a fiesta blend cheese instead of mozzarella?

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  18. I wanted to love this recipe, but there was way too much sour cream!🥺

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