ZESTY BAKED PASTA

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground meat of your choice)
• 2 T finely grated Parmesan
• 1 T balsamic reduction (or balsamic vinegar)
• 1 t dried or fresh basil
• 1 t dried or fresh oregano
• 1 egg
• 1 lb pasta (I used penne)
• 2 T olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed + minced
• 1 lb grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• cracked pepper
• 1 C grated Parmesan, to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Prepare the pasta al dente, according to package instructions, reserving 1/2 C cooking water.

3. While the pasta is cooking, make the meatballs. In a medium bowl, add the ground beef, 2 T finely grated Parmesan, balsamic reduction, basil, oregano and egg. Season with sea salt and pepper. Mix until well incorporated. Shape the meat mixture into tablespoon sized meatballs and set aside.

4. In a large wood top glass canister, add the tomatoes, zucchini and al dente pasta.

5. In the saucepan you used to make the pasta, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer the onions and garlic to the glass canister. Toss well to combine.

6. Place the meatballs in the saucepan, adding more olive oil if needed. Brown the meatballs over medium heat for 1 minute. Gentle turn the meatballs and sauté for one more minute. Nestle the browned meatballs on top of the pasta mixture in the canister.

7. Add the reserved pasta water and 1/4 C balsamic vinegar to the pasta and meatballs.

8. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper.

9. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Spoon into pasta bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

To Be Noted

• This recipe was created in partnership with etúHOME for their "At Home with etúHOME" series. You can substitute different types of pasta in this recipe + make your meatballs with ground turkey, chicken, pork or lamb instead of beef. Make it your own!

Category: Lunch + Dinner

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