Pasta with Meat Sauce Bake

I made up this recipe myself. It's really easy and Scott always likes it!

Pasta with Meat Sauce Bake

Recipe By: Jennifer Gabbert
Serving Size: 6
Categories: Casseroles, Food Storage Recipe, Freezer Recipes, Gound Beef or Turkey, Pasta, Grains, & Legumes, Quick & Easy

6 ounces rotini pasta (I love Ronzoni Smart Taste) -- uncooked
18 ounces spaghetti sauce -- to taste
2/3 pound lean ground beef -- cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups warm water (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese -- to taste
3 ounces mozzarella cheese -- shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degreesF. In a bowl, mix sauce, hamburger, water, and parmesan cheese. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Place pasta in the bottom of the pan and pour sauce mixture over the pasta. Mix a little to make sure to coat the pasta, adding more water if pasta is not covered well with sauce. Top with cheese.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degreesF for 50-60 minutes or until pasta is cooked and tender. Cool for 5 minutes, covered.

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
ADVANCED PREP: Cook ground beef. Grate cheese.
PREPARATION: Place uncooked pasta in a labelled quart freezer bag. Place sauce, cooked ground beef, and parmesan cheese in a labelled gallon freezer bag; you can also add the water at this point or wait until you cook the casserole. Place the mozzarella cheese in a pint labelled freezer bag. Bag these all together and freeze flat.
TO SERVE: Thaw. Add water to sauce mixture and mix well if you didn't add water when you froze it. Follow the above cooking instructions starting with preheating the oven to 375 degreesF.

Serving Ideas : Serve with a green salad and french bread.

NOTES : Cooking time may vary. Every time you look under the aluminum foil to check to see if it's done, you let all the steam out that cooks the pasta, so don't check it until it is almost done.
Jen's Notes: I usually use All Purpose Ground Meat Mix from the Make-A-Mix cookbook by Eliason, Harward, and Westover.
3/19/08 Made this recipe up and Scott really liked it. Tasted kind of lasagna-ie, but was way easier.