Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas - Baked Pasta Casserole

All it takes is a big, unexpected bill or several unplanned, unpaid sick days for your bank account to look a bit emaciated. It is times like these when you find ways to cut down on variable monthly expenses to give you a little wiggle room. Often the first budget to be cut is the grocery plan, but you still don't have a ton of time to prepare less expensive yet labor intensive meals. That is why it is helpful to have a source of inexpensive dinner ideas, quick and easy dinner ideas to which you can refer. Pasta is very kid-friendly, and affordable to boot. Here are a couple of cheap, quick, easy dinner recipes using pasta.

Baked Pasta Casserole

Spaghetti is a cheap, quick, easy dinner recipe, but it can get tired if you have it too frequently. This casserole is a nice variation.

1 box or bag pasta shapes

1 can spaghetti sauce

1/3 lb. ground beef, turkey or chicken

1 cup grated mozzarella

¼ cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Vegetable oil

Preparation:
Prepare pasta as directed, leaving it slightly undercooked. Simmer onion and garlic with a bit of oil in a large skillet until translucent. Remove the onion and garlic and brown the meat in the pan. Drain and stir in the onion and garlic. Stir in pasta sauce and heat on low for about 10 minutes. 
Drain pasta and return to its pan. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir well. Pour the pasta into a greased baking dish. Top with cheese, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and return to oven for 10 more minutes.

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Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/cheap-quick-easy-dinner-recipes-6472040.html?cat=22

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