Recreating one of my husband’s childhood favorites with a few tweaks from my mom’s meat sauce recipe. What we get is a delicious family favorite that’s easy to prep in advance and stick in the oven when ready.
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Par cook pasta (a minute or two less than package instructions for al dente). Drain and set aside.
In a large saucepan brown ground beef, onion, and garlic.
Stir in marinara, diced tomatoes, water, italian seasoning, and brown sugar. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and simmer 3-5 minutes, or until thickened.
Add pasta to sauce and stir to coat evenly, and pour sauce and pasta into 9×13 baking pan.
Top with cheeses.
Bake 30-35 minutes, or until hot (usually bubbling) and cheese is medium brown.
Notes
This recipe calls for par-cooking the noodles as they’ll cook more in the oven.
To make ahead you can prep and cover in the fridge, and cook for 5-10 additional minutes to cook through.
