One Pot Cheesy Beefy Casserole with ALDI

It’s almost fall and that means it’s time for some of our favorite cool weather foods like soups, chili and our personal favorite: casseroles.  Casseroles are good for simple weekday dinners at home or for sharing with friends during game day.  One of our favorite casserole recipes is our take on a healthy hamburger helper, our one pot Cheesy Beefy Casserole. The best part is that we can get all the fresh and healthy ingredients from ALDI.

***Disclosure: This post is sponsored by ALDI USA. As always, all opinions are 100% our own***

ALDI has such a wide variety of amazing products at even better prices, you are sure to find whatever is on your grocery list. You can’t beat their great selection of organic produce and fresh meats.  We are huge fans of their ALDI-exclusive brands like Earth Grown which features vegetarian and vegan products and liveGfree, their gluten-free line. For this specific recipe, we purchased many of the ingredients from the Simply Nature line, which are products free of preservatives and artificial ingredients.

The key ingredients to this recipe are the liveGfree Organic Gluten Free Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne, the Simply Nature Organic 100% Grass Fed 85/15 Ground Beef and fresh produce from ALDI. You can really play around and add whatever vegetables you want or have in your fridge. Personally we think zucchini and/or mushrooms would be fantastic in this. You can also substitute kale for the spinach, or add some tomatoes along with the tomato paste for a richer dish.

One Pot Cheesy Beefy Casserole Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins. Cook Time: 20 mins. Total Time: 35 minutes
Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients
1 lb Simply Nature Organic 100% Grass Fed 85/15 Ground Beef
1 lb liveGfree Organic Gluten Free Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne
2 cups Simply Nature Organic Beef Broth
3 tbls Friendly Farms Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
2 tbls Happy Harvest tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cups Little Salad Bar Flat Leaf Spinach
1 cup Simply Nature Organic Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 tbls Carlini Olive Oil
salt & pepper
spices such as paprika, chili powder, cayenne
**products and availability may vary

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat add the olive oil, onion, garlic and beef. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned about 10 minutes. We used some pretty lean ground beef, so we didn’t need to drain, but feel free if desired. Add any additional spices you may want. We added paprika, chili powder and cayenne.
2. Add tomato paste, stir to coat.
3. Add the pasta, carrot red pepper and toss to coat.
4. Add the broth and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cover. Simmer about 8-10 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Stir often.
6. If you desire it to be creamier, add more broth.
7. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and add the spinach until cheese is melted.
8. Serve with additional cheese and scallions on top.

Pro tip: We recommend making a big batch of this for meals for the week. The leftovers taste just as good as the first day you make it!

Stop by your local ALDI for your next grocery shopping trip! You can even order online for delivery or curbside pickup. Make sure to let us know what ALDI items are your favorite!