High Protein Italian Beef Pasta (Print Version)

Hearty pasta bake with lean beef, vegetables, and melted cheese—ready in under an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz whole wheat penne or rotini pasta

→ Beef & Vegetables

02 - 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
03 - 1 medium onion, diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - 3.5 oz mushrooms, sliced
07 - 3.5 oz baby spinach

→ Sauce

08 - 24 fl oz canned crushed tomatoes
09 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
11 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
12 - 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Cheese & Toppings

14 - 5 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
15 - 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
16 - 1 oz turkey pepperoni slices
17 - Fresh basil for garnish

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
03 - In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess fat if needed.
04 - Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
05 - Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, approximately 1 minute.
06 - Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
07 - Combine the cooked pasta with the beef and vegetable sauce mixture.
08 - Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
09 - Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top. Arrange turkey pepperoni slices if using.
10 - Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
11 - Garnish with fresh basil before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent and pizza-inspired without any guilt, because the lean beef and whole grains actually make you feel satisfied longer.
  • Meal prep becomes genuinely easy when you can portion this straight from the baking dish into containers for the week ahead.
  • The vegetable-to-pasta ratio means you're eating a legitimate serving of greens without even noticing them among the cheese and sauce.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining the pasta water completely or you'll end up with a soupy bake instead of one where the pasta has texture; wet pasta keeps absorbing moisture as it bakes.
  • The magic happens when you actually taste the beef-sauce mixture before adding pasta, because if the seasoning is off, no amount of cheese fixes it later.
03 -
  • Shred your own mozzarella cheese instead of buying pre-shredded because the anti-caking agents actually prevent it from melting into that creamy, bubbly texture you're after.
  • If you want even more protein without changing the taste at all, stir in 200g of low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta right before you transfer to the baking dish—it disappears completely but adds serious protein per serving.
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