Greek Pasta Bake

This recipe turned out so super yummy! I would have liked a little more sauce with it, but other then that, loved it! I have to admit, as a cattle ranchers daughter, I was a little apprehensive about the ground lamb. But it actually gave the dish a really unique yummy flavor. There is one thing I changed on this recipe, and that is, the recipe said to use 4 ounces of feta cheese to sprinkle on top, which would have been way too much all on top of the pasta. So instead I mixed 3 ounces of the cheese into the pasta/meat mixture, and then used the rest to sprinkle on top. But over all, I would totally recommend this dish to anyone! Enjoy :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground lamb
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups uncooked rigatoni or large tube pasta
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef and lamb over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in onion, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and thyme.

Mix well. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes and lemon juice.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir into meat mixture. Fold in 3/4 feta cheese, saving the remainder to sprinkle over the top. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.

Recipe from The Taste of Home Cookbook