Good morning guys! I’ve got a really fun recipe for Valentine’s Day that will make you cancel your plans and stay in with bae 🙂 The long waits and traffic can really take the fun out of VDay so why not stay in make a delicious dinner and appreciate the quiet that comes from staying home. I’m partnering with Barilla today and using their Barilla® Gluten Free Penne to make the most amazing pasta dish. My Baked Penne w/ Red Wine Bolognese Sauce; not only is it super easy to make but it can be fun if you do it together….maybe even poor yourself a glass of wine while dinner is being prepare to get the fun started early.
Lucky for you the wine serves two purposes in this situation first and foremost it’s apart of the recipe and second it’s great to drink. Another great thing about this recipe is the convenience of using quality products to make an amazing meal. Barilla is definitely a staple in my house; we rely on the quality of the pasta and sauces to make weeknight dinners easy. In this case we have a simple recipe but it’s literally bursting with flavor and cheese…don’t forget the cheese lol. This recipe will have your date night in feeling like a visit to your favorite Italian restaurant. I love recreating meals from my favorite restaurants it makes me feel like I’m there but from the comfort of my own family room while binging on Netflix lol.
I was able to get everything I needed for this recipe at Target! Everything was super easy to find and nothing is better than shopping at a one stop shop type of store.
So lets get started on this super easy VDay meal for you and your boo 🙂 First you want to saute your onions and garlic in olive oil and butter. I like to cook the onions until they begin to become translucent….I also add the onions first before the garlic just to keep my garlic from burning. Once the onions become translucent add your spices. I’ve got a great mixture there paprika, dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and (not shown) onion powder, and garlic powder. Give everything a good mix.
Next add your meat of choice. For me I chose to use ground beef…..I mean if I’m going with a bolognese sauce I want my beef! So thats what I chose for this recipe; you could also use ground turkey, pork, italian sausage…it’s totally up to you. Make sure that you cook the meat completely and remove from heat until when done.
If you’re are good at multi-tasking in the kitchen I would recommend cooking your pasta while the beef is cooking. I always add olive oil and salt to my pasta water for seasoning purposes but also to make sure my pasta doesn’t stick. Once the pasta is cooked (al dente 10 minutes) remove from heat and drain.
Now lets finish up this sauce. Add your red wine to a deep saucepan with a whole clove of garlic. Allow the wine to come to a boil before adding your Barilla marinara or tomato based sauce. Once the sauce is added make sure to stir until combined; next add your parmesan cheese and milk. Make sure to stir again before adding your drained beef. Give everything another stir and bring the sauce to a boil then simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes before assembling your pasta.
Next grab your provolone cheese and freshly sliced mozzarella cheese along with your pasta, sauce, and baking pan. Before you started assembling the pasta reserve 1 cup of sauce to the side. Mix the cooked penne with the sauce until all the pasta is fully coated. Next add sauce to the bottom of the pan from the reserved pasta. Next add the first layer of pasta, then cheese, and lastly the reserved sauce. Repeat this process until all of the pasta is used and everything is covered with sauce and cheese. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Serve immediately!
I used the Gluten Free pasta which if you haven’t tried gluten free anything nows your chance lol. It literally tastes just like the original pasta. It has the classic pasta taste and texture; plus its something the whole family can enjoy with its Non-GMO ingredients and delicious blend of corn and rice.
Ingredients
- 1 jar Barilla Marinara
- 1 box Barilla Gluten Free Penne
- 1 tbsp Butter and
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Black
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 Garlic Clove (whole)
- 3/4 cup Pinot Noir (or your favorite dry red wine)
- 1/4 cup Whole Milk or Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit.
- In a frying pan add butter and olive oil.
- Add onions and garlic; sauté until onions become translucent.
- Add seasoning to the onions and garlic; mix until everything is evenly coated.
- Add ground beef and and mix until fully combined; remove from heat once fully cooked and set aside.
- In a sauce pan add red wine and 1 garlic clove; allow wine to simmer before adding sauce.
- Add sauce and mix well.
- Next add milk, parmesan cheese, and beef. Stir until well combined and allow sauce to come to a boil before reducing heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
- While sauce is finishing cook your Barilla Gluten Free Pasta until Al dente; once done make sure to drain.
- Reserve 1 cup of the sauce to the side and mix the sauce and pasta together until fully combined.
- Slice some fresh mozzarella and grab your provolone slices to begin assembling this pasta.
- Add some of the reserved sauce to the casserole dish, then add your pasta, cheese and more reserved sauce. Repeat this process until you end with cheese.
- Cook in the oven for 35 minutes or until cheese is nice and bubbly.
- Serve immediately and Enjoy!
- Bring sauce to a rapid boil and cut down heat to simmer
- Cook pasta
- Remove garlic clove
- Add meat to the sauce and stir until fully combined
- Drain pasta
Check out the Barilla Website for more information! Also have fun with the Mix Match Flavor website
And if I haven’t spoiled you guys enough 🙂 I’ve got a discount for you!! Cartwheel Offer 5% off Barilla Pasta & Sauce
