My mom used to make this on the coldest winter nights when nobody felt like leaving the house. The kitchen would smell like simmering tomatoes and browned beef, and we’d all hover around the oven waiting for that bubbly, cheesy top to turn golden. Now I make it on repeat because it’s the kind of dinner that fixes everything.
This is pure comfort in a casserole dish. Tender rotini pasta swimming in a rich, slightly sweet tomato sauce loaded with seasoned ground beef, soft bell peppers, and just enough cheese to make you close your eyes when you take a bite. It bakes until the edges get crispy and the sauce thickens into something almost too good to share.
Honestly? My husband ate three servings straight from the pan.
**INGREDIENTS:**
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups rotini pasta, cooked
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
**INSTRUCTIONS:**
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain the fat.
Toss in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and mustard. Let it simmer for 8–10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix in the cooked pasta until everything is coated in that rich, tomatoey goodness.
Pour half the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Add the rest of the pasta mixture, then top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling at the edges.
Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. (Good luck waiting that long.)
Would you add extra cheese on top or keep it just like this?
