Recently I stood at my kitchen cabinets and discovered I had precious little to prepare for dinner. The staples for spaghetti with meat sauce were within reach, however. But spaghetti again?

Instead, I relied on a favorite recipe from my mom: cheesy pasta bake. It’s essentially your standard, predictable dish but baked with a thick layer of melted, bubbling mozzarella cheese on top.

Some thirty minutes later, my 9×13 casserole dish was being pulled from the oven. Served alongside garlic bread and salad, this dish is effortless, delicious, and hearty enough for lunch the next day.

Cheesy Pasta Bake

1/2 pound of penne or rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained

1 pound of ground beef, browned and drained

24 ounces of your favorite pasta sauce

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup  of grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once the pasta and ground beef are prepared as directed, combine together, mixing in the pasta sauce and a small handful of shredded mozzarella. Top with the remaining shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the mozzarella cheese is melted and bubbling slightly.