This Tasty Kitchen recipe, submitted in May by Rozanie, fit perfectly into the 16-Minute Meal theme I have going on in my house this week. As I explained on The Pioneer Woman Cooks yesterday, my girls are gone all week, which means I have a houseful of only boys. They’re so delightfully male—the more brown and plentiful the food is, the better. And wonderfully so, they tend to like the dishes that take the least amount of time to make.

Sold!

This could not have been easier. When the boys and I returned from our Family Soccer Game, I threw it together and had dinner on the table in less than twenty minutes. It was heaven, and I was able to be in front of the TV in time to watch Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Wait. Did I just say that out loud?

Begin by boiling 5 cups of bowtie pasta noodles. (This amounts roughly to a 12-ounce bag.)

Cook it till al dente!

Brown some ground chuck in a skillet. (Regular ground beef would be just fine.)

Drain the pasta and dump it over the top of the browned meat.

Drizzle olive oil over the top of the noodles…

Then grab a jar of marinara or other pasta sauce. *Note that the submitter of this recipe correctly points out that you definitely want to use a sauce you really like here!

Dump it right over the noodles.

Add garlic powder…

And Italian Seasoning. You can substitute fresh garlic and herbs if you have them handy. Basil would be yummy! And be sure to add salt—about a teaspoon or so.

Next, add grated mozzarella. I had some fresh stuff in my fridge, but you can use any form of mozzarella you’d like.

Also dump in a little sour cream. This adds a really nice consistency to the whole dish. Even if you’re not a sour cream fan, don’t be afraid! You won’t even taste it.

Finally, stir it all together over low heat until it’s just combined. Yum!

I also stirred in some grated Parmesan for a little extra kick. And that’s it, baby!

I served this with an Iceberg/ranch salad and a hunk of warm, crust bread. The three men in my house absolutely loved it.

OPTIONS: This is such an easy meal, it would be a cinch to add in whatever extras you’d like. I think I’ll do chopped black olives next time, and probably a combination of fresh herbs. You can also play with the cheeses—add some Romano, Asiago…have at it!

Verdict: I’ll definitely make this again. Another 16-minute meal for my repertoire. Thanks, Rozanie!

Here’s the printable recipe: Bowtie Lasagna by Rozanie