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Cheesy One Bite Baked Penne Cups

Creamy, cheesy and spicy baked penne pasta is baked into mini muffin cups for the tastiest appetizer around! They're the perfect one-bite snack!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
23 mins
Servings: 24 cups
Course: Main Course , Appetizer , Snacks , Others
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb mini penne pasta
  • 1/2 jar Ragu Spicy Italian pasta sauce
  • 1/3 lb ground beef one third
  • 2-3 Tbsp cream cheese
  • 1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese plus some for sprinkling, one third
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg beaten
  • Fresh basil or parsley to garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Bring large pot of water to a boil.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 mini muffin pans with cooking spray and set aside.
  3. Salt the boiling water, add pasta and boil for 2 minutes less than what the box says for "al dente".
  4. Drain pasta and toss with some olive oil to keep it from sticking.
  5. In a skillet over MED-HIGH heat brown and crumble the ground beef. Use a potato masher to get it into fine crumbles. Stir in garlic powder and Italian seasoning, along with a pinch of salt (not too much).
  6. Drain beef and return to skillet.
  7. Add pasta sauce and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese is melted into the sauce.
  8. Beat egg in a small bowl and set aside.
  9. To a large mixing bowl, add pasta, meat sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine everything. Mix in egg until well combined.
  10. Spoon pasta into muffin tins, pressing the pasta into the cups to really pack it in.
  11. Bake for 6-8 minutes.
  12. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the tops, return to oven and bake until cheese is bubbly and turning lightly golden brown.
  13. Let stand for several minutes before removing from the muffin tins. Remove gently with a spoon.

Notes

  • ** meat can be left out for a vegetarian version