a simple recipe :: baked pasta for the freezer

For even those who LOVE to cook, weeknight meals can sometimes be a chore! Usually the beginning of the week is fine for me, but by Thursday, I either haven’t come up with an idea or just don’t feel like making the planned meal I decided on when I made the week’s menu. Freezer meals or even a meal prepped ahead of time can make a weeknight meal a breeze. My favorite freezer meal, or made ahead meal is Baked Pasta with Sour Cream. It is so easy and makes even the pickiest eater happy. Here’s the recipe and some of my ideas for it.

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta (rotini, ziti, or medium shells are my favorites)
1 lb ground meat (Italian sausage is the best)
1 onion (diced)
16 oz sour cream
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz provolone cheese, shredded
24 oz can of crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce
1. Boil pasta as instructed on package.
2. Brown meat. Add onions and cook until tender.
3. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.
4. Layer in a 9 x 13 pan. Begin with 1/3 the meat sauce, then 1/2 the pasta, 16 oz sour cream, provolone cheese, 1/3 meat sauce, the rest of the pasta, the rest of the meat sauce, and top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

This makes a great, easy dinner served with salad and bread. It also is an easy meal to bring to someone who needs one. They can eat it right away, reheat when needed, or freeze for a later date. If you are using it as a freezer meal, do not bake first.
I have made this for many friends who have just had a baby, and usually am asked for the recipe! I now just deliver with the recipe included. I first made this from a recipe from my best friend in college, and now have changed it slightly to how we like it, but it always brings back such good memories of our time together when I make it! Make this over the weekend, and have it ready for that night this week that you just don’t feel like cooking!