Get ready for a filling, crowd-pleasing baked pasta casserole that everyone will love. In it, you’ll find Italian-spiced ground pork, spinach, and tender penne in a rich tomato sauce. A topping of toasty panko and melty mozzarella creates a crisp, cheesy crust. Once the pasta bake is done, straight to the table it goes, ready to feed the hungriest of eaters. The time you save on this big-batch meal means freeing up that much more time to hang with the fam!
Big Batch: This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
5 ounce
Spinach
12 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
20 ounce
Ground Pork
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
28 ounce
Marinara Cup
1 unit
Milk
(Contains Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
1 cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains Milk)
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains Wheat)
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 teaspoon
Olive Oil
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. • Add pork* and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Season with Tuscan Heat Spice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Stir marinara sauce and half the milk (all for 8 servings) into pan with pork. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce begins to bubble, then remove from heat. • Stir in spinach and as many chili flakes as you like. Cover pan until spinach wilts. Stir in half the mozzarella. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer drained penne to a 9-by-13- inch baking dish (two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes for 8 servings). • Carefully pour sauce over pasta and stir until sauce is evenly distributed.
• Evenly top pasta mixture in baking dish with panko, remaining mozzarella, and a large drizzle of olive oil. • Bake until panko is browned and crispy, 12-15 minutes.
• Divide casserole between plates or serve family style directly from baking dish.
Ground Pork is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.