Macaroni Gratinee

Need to feed an army? Try this easy, herbed macaroni and home-made sauce. It's guaranteed to please young and old.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Calories: 736 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 ⅓ (16 ounce) packages elbow macaroni

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source.

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and stir in the ground beef until crumbly and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, and salt; continue cooking until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes more. Drain off the excess grease, and add the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.

Step 3

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Stir the cooked macaroni into the meat sauce until combined, then spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.

Step 4

Broil in preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden, about 5 minutes.