Greek Pasta Beef Casserole

This Greek Pasta Beef Casserole is an excellent comfort food that’s packed with nutritious and delicious ingredients sure to please the entire family.

My son starts kindergarten TODAY!

On one hand, the last 5 years have flown by, but on the other hand the years have dragged on.

If you’re a mom I’m sure you know what I mean.  

One of my friends recently told me a quote that resonated quite well with me.  “The days are long but the years are short” (Gretchen Rubin).

It’s that the truth!?

And believe me, I am reminded of that practically daily when I go to the store with my 3 kids.

Besides comments like “wow, you have your hands full!” I often hear “cherish your young kids because they grow up so quickly.”

Well making quick meals like this casserole help me to do just that.

Spending less time in the kitchen is a frequent goal of mine. This way I can have more time to do the things I love to do like exercise, and spend time with my family.

Now that my son has started kindergarten and my daughter is in preschool, I’m looking for dinner ideas that are quick, nutritious, and leave my family feeling satisfied.

That’s when I came up with this Greek Pasta Beef Casserole.

It takes only 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook. This recipe also leaves me with leftovers. Having leftovers is a bonus since it’s an easy lunch for all of us for the next few days.

Dietitian’s Dish

This recipe contains whole grains from the pasta and tons of protein to help keep you feeling satisfied longer.  

Did you know that eating protein like beef evenly throughout the day helps you manage your weight? If you’d like to challenge yourself to increase your protein throughout the day, check out this 30-day protein challenge.

If you’re looking for more details on beef and why I mainly choose extra lean ground beef, check out my Ground Beef Nutrition Comparison chart in my Honey Barbecue Meatloaf post.

Greek Pasta Beef Casserole

A nutritious and simple weeknight meal!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

  

• 12 ounce whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup green peppers chopped
• 1/2 cup onions chopped
• 1 24 ounce pasta sauce
• 1 8 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 2 1/2 ounce cans sliced black olives
• 10 ounce frozen spinach thawed and drained
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozarrella cheese

Instructions

 

• Cook pasta according to directions.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add green peppers, onions, minced garlic and ground beef and heat until beef is thoroughly cooked.
• In a large bowl, combine beef mixture with the pasta, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, black olives, spinach, basil, oregano and thyme.
• Add pasta to the baking pan and sprinkle cheese over top of pasta.
• Cook pasta for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Want to learn more about the beef industry in addition to more delicious recipes and nutrition tidbits? Check out Beef It’s What’s for Dinner.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the Michigan Beef Industry Commission. I was compensated for my time but my views and opinion on this post are and will always be my own. I will only partner with brands that I believe promote or provide products that fit into a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

This Greek Pasta Beef Casserole first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.

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