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Baked penne casserole in a rectangular glass dish inside the oven, with a golden-brown bubbling cheese crust over penne and zucchini

Quick Gluten-Free Penne Ground Beef Casserole with Zucchini, Peppers and Mozzarella

This quick gluten-free penne ground beef casserole is a creamy, Mediterranean-style pasta bake: seared zucchini and bell peppers, a browned beef and tomato sauce enriched with sour cream, cooked gluten-free penne and a thick golden crust of mozzarella.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-inspired
Calories: 999
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g gluten-free penne Barilla Gluten Free Penne Rigate (corn and rice). Dry weight: one 400 g package (about 14 oz)
  • 500 g ground beef about 1.1 lb
  • 2 zucchini diced or cut into half-moons; about 400 g (14 oz) assumed for nutrition
  • 3 bell peppers red, yellow and green; seeded, cut into strips or dice; about 450 g (1 lb) assumed for nutrition
  • 2 to 3 tbsp tomato paste 30 to 45 ml. Check the label
  • 400 g chopped or crushed tomatoes about 14 oz, 1 can. Check the label
  • 200 g sour cream about 7 oz; 1 tub, all of it goes into the sauce. Sour cream works in the US as well as in Germany; with American sour cream add a little more water so that the sauce coats everything
  • 200 g mozzarella shredded, about 7 oz, 1 package. Check the label; shredded cheese can contain anti-caking starch
  • 100 ml vegetable broth (Tellofix Classic) about 3.4 fl oz, prepared as the package says; or use water. The label states gluten-free
  • 1 onion, finely chopped optional, if you have one; not counted in the nutrition values
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped optional, if you have them; not counted in the nutrition values
  • 2 tbsp olive oil 30 ml, divided: 1 tbsp (15 ml) for the vegetables and 1 tbsp (15 ml) for the beef
  • 1.5 tsp sweet paprika 7.5 ml. Check the label
  • 2 tsp Italian herbs oregano, basil and thyme; 10 ml. Check the label
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • red pepper flakes optional, to taste

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) conventional, or 180°C (355°F) fan. Cut the zucchini into bite-size half-moons or dice, and seed the bell peppers and cut them into short strips or dice.
  2. Sear the vegetables. Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the oil in a large skillet (or Dutch oven) over high heat. Sear the zucchini and bell peppers for 4 to 5 minutes, until they have light browning but still have some bite. Season with salt and pepper, take them out of the pan and set aside. This keeps the vegetables firm in the casserole so they do not water down the sauce.
    Diced zucchini and red, yellow and green bell pepper searing in a large steaming pan on a cooktop
  3. Cook the pasta alongside. Once the vegetables are seared, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, using more water than you would for regular pasta, and cook the 400 g gluten-free penne for the time on the package so that it is ready when the sauce is done. Gluten-free pasta falls apart quickly, so start checking for al dente a few times before the package time is up. Drain.
  4. Brown the beef. In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil, then brown the ground beef over high heat until crumbly and well browned. Stir in the onion and garlic, if using, for a short time. Add the tomato paste and cook it with the beef for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring.
  5. Make the sauce. Deglaze with the chopped or crushed tomatoes and about 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) vegetable broth (Tellofix Classic) or water. Season boldly with salt, pepper, the sweet paprika, the Italian herbs, a pinch of sugar and, if you like, red pepper flakes, because the mozzarella is mild. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat (or turn it to the lowest setting) and stir in the sour cream (all 200 g) and a small handful of the mozzarella (about 40 to 50 g).
  6. Combine. Variant A: add the vegetables and the cooked penne to the pan with the sauce, mix well, then transfer everything to a large baking dish. If your pan is ovenproof, everything can stay in it. Variant B (pan too small): put the penne and vegetables straight into the large baking dish (or the empty pasta pot), pour the hot beef sauce over them and mix well in the dish.
  7. Top and bake. Scatter the remaining mozzarella (about 150 to 160 g) evenly and thickly over the mixed penne, with a pinch of oregano if you like. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese has melted completely, bubbles and forms golden brown patches.
    Unbaked penne casserole in a glass dish in the oven, thickly covered with shredded mozzarella
  8. Serve. Spoon portions onto plates while the cheese is still stretchy.
    One serving of penne casserole on a white plate with browned cheese crust, melted cheese strands, ground beef sauce and zucchini, on a patterned tablecloth with red apples

Notes

Gluten check: use penne clearly labeled gluten-free and read the labels of the broth, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, spice blends, sour cream and shredded mozzarella (packaged shredded cheese can contain starch as an anti-caking agent). Use clean utensils and pans to avoid cross-contact.
Variant A or B: if your skillet is large and ovenproof, mix everything in it and bake it there (Variant A). If the pan is too small, mix in the baking dish or the empty pasta pot (Variant B).
No-oven version (one pan): after stirring the sour cream into the sauce and mixing in the cooked penne and seared vegetables, toss it in the pan over heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Scatter the 200 g (7 oz) mozzarella straight into the pan, cover, and let it melt on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until long strands form.
Pasta: the 400 g of penne is the dry weight, one package. Use plenty of water, more than for regular pasta, because gluten-free pasta breaks down quickly. Go by the cooking time on the package, but check for al dente a few times before it is up.
Sauce tip: if the sauce is too thick after the sour cream goes in (American sour cream is richer), stir in a splash of water until it coats everything.
Seasoning: mozzarella is milder than Parmesan, so season the sauce boldly with salt, herbs and paprika.
Baking dish: the casserole in the photos was baked in a flat rectangular glass dish about 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in) deep; use a similar large dish.
Doneness: ground beef is generally recommended to reach 160°F (71°C) inside. This is general food-safety guidance: the beef is browned in the pan until crumbly and cooked through before it goes into the casserole.
Nutrition values are an estimate calculated from the ingredient list, not a lab analysis. They count 400 g dry gluten-free penne, 2.5 tbsp tomato paste and all of the sour cream and mozzarella; the optional onion, garlic, pepper flakes, salt, pepper, paprika and herbs are not counted.