Saute up some veg (as Mr. Jamie Oliver would say) in a little
olive oil. Onions, red and green peppers and garlic.

Embrace the drippings. Fat = flavor. Also, embrace your oven
and turn it on to preheat at 375°.

In goes the sauce. About half a jar. Store the other half in the
fridge.

Drain the pasta well and toss it into the sauce mixture. Remove
from heat and stir so all the pasta is coated in the lovely,
veggie-filled sauce.

Mmm. You could definitely stop right here, put it in a bowl with
some Parm on top and have a delicious dinner. But we’re
moving on. Because we have bakey and cheesy to get to.

Into a square casserole. I usually put half of the pasta mixture,
then a layer of cheese and then the remainder of the pasta and
top with some more cheese and beautiful basil ribbons.
Into the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and
the pasta has absorbed any excess sauce.

Top with some fresh Parm. Cheesy people, chees-y.

1 T. olive oil 1/2 green pepper, diced 1/2 red pepper, diced 1 small onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 pound ground beef 12 ounces whole wheat penne (or other medium-sized pasta), cooked per directions 1/2 jar pasta sauce 1 c. shredded mozzarella Handful basil leaves, chiffonade (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-low heat. Saute peppers, onions and garlic until just softened. Add ground beef and brown, keeping beef drippings in the pan for flavor. Remove from heat, add pasta and pasta sauce and stir until well-coated. Spoon half the mixture into a square baking dish, cover with half the cheese. Repeat with remaining pasta and cheese. Sprinkle top with basil ribbons. Baked for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and pasta has absorbed most of the sauce.