Meatless Italian Macaroni Bake Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
• 2. In a 3-quart saucepan, cook the macaroni in boiling water until tender. Drain well. (If you decide to use Rotini pasta in place of the elbow macaroni, be sure to use at least 2-1/2 cups, and cook the pasta for 10 minutes.)
• 3. Add the drained macaroni back into the pan, then add in the mayonnaise, stewed tomatoes, a 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, and the Italian seasoning; stir the ingredients.
• 4. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish.
• 5. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella over the casserole, and bake uncovered in the oven for 20 minutes.
• 6. Before serving, I lightly sprinkle a bit of dried parsley flakes on top the casserole. Also, you'll notice this recipe doesn't state to add any salt or pepper. I add those spices to my plate when seated at the table.
• 7. *Note: When making this casserole, you can substitute another type of pasta for the macaroni. Sometimes I'll use Radiatore Pasta, or even Rotini. (I do however, cook the Radiatore Pasta for 10 minutes.) I have also prepared this meatless casserole using a four cheese blend, instead of the mozzarella cheese. Surprisingly it turned out to be quite good. (See additional photos which I added.) One more thing, you can also substitute a can of diced tomatoes (which has basil, garlic & oregano in it), for the stewed tomatoes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet. Add pasta, pasta sauce and half the Parmesan; mix well.
• Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheeses.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Drain macaroni., In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, sausage mixture, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt, basil and pepper. , Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Steps:

• Mix the grated onion, 1 crushed garlic clove, mince, breadcrumbs, milk, parmesan and parsley in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Mash the mixture together with your hands until combined. Mould the mix into small balls (about walnut-sized) with damp hands. There will be about 20 meatballs.
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the meatballs for 6-8 mins until golden brown all over. Fry in batches if you need to - they don't need to be cooked through, just browned on the outside. Set aside on a plate.
• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in the pan and fry the chopped onion for 5 mins until softened. Add the remaining garlic, fry for another minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 mins until thickened and the tomatoes have broken down. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 5 mins less than the pack instructions state, in boiling salted water. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce, adding a splash of water if too thick, and bring to a simmer. Drain the pasta and tip into an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and meatballs and mix well. Stir in most of the mozzarella, then scatter the remaining over the top. Bake for 15-20 mins until the cheese is golden and bubbling, and the top is slightly crisp.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, water, soup mix, Italian seasoning and, if desired, pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-9 minutes or until macaroni is tender., Remove from the heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Add to beef mixture and gently stir in sliced plum tomatoes. , Transfer to an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.