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Dinner recipe · from the recipe book

Cheesy Beef and Butternut Pasta Bake

Savory browned beef and tender pasta in a silky butternut-cauliflower sauce under a bubbly, golden cheddar top.

Cheesy Beef and Butternut Pasta Bake

Ingredients

  • 12⅔ cups3,000 gWater
  • 10 oz280 gPasta, dryshort shape such as rigatoni
  • 2½ cups cubed350 gButternut squash, peeledcut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2⅓ cups florets250 gCauliflowercut into small florets
  • 1 lb450 gGround beef, 90% lean
  • 1 medium110 gYellow oniondiced
  • 3 cloves9 gGarlicminced
  • 2¼ tsp10 gOlive oil
  • 1¼ cups (300 ml)300 gMilk, 2%
  • 2 tsp10 gYellow mustard
  • 1¼ tsp3 gPaprika (sweet or smoked)
  • 1 tsp1 gDried thyme
  • ¾ tsp5 gSalt
  • ½ tsp1 gBlack pepper
  • 3⅓ cups loosely packed100 gBaby spinach
  • 1 cup shredded100 gCheddar cheeseshredded, divided
  • 2 tbsp chopped8 gFresh parsleychopped

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with a little of the olive oil.
  2. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the butternut and cauliflower and cook 10 minutes until very tender; lift them out with a slotted spoon into a blender.
  3. Add the pasta to the same boiling water and cook 2 minutes less than the package says, then drain.
  4. While the pasta cooks, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and onion and cook, breaking up the beef, until browned and the beef reaches 160°F (71°C), about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika and thyme for 1 minute.
  5. Add the milk, mustard, salt, black pepper and one quarter of the cheddar to the squash and cauliflower in the blender, and blend until smooth to make the sauce.
  6. Stir the spinach into the hot beef until wilted, then fold in the drained pasta and the sauce. Spread in the baking dish.
  7. Scatter the remaining three quarters of the cheddar over the top. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling and golden.
  8. Rest 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Contains: Milk, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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