Gluten Free Penne & Chili Bake Casserole

When you’re eating gluten free, regardless of if it is a life choice or a medical requirement… it can be difficult to find meals that taste delicious to make for your family. Most of the time, I end up creating a meal for my family and eating something different myself.

However, my husband has never been too keen on that part of our life. He wants us to eat as a family at the table like we did with our families when we were young. Which I must admit is something I enjoyed very much back then… so, why not offer that option to our children today?

With that being the case, I started looking for gluten free recipes online. I would look up the recipes, purchase the items needed and create the meals. This worked for a while, but when funds run short, I have to resort to my creativity to make things that we all will enjoy and that we all can eat.

If you’re thinking in your head, “That’s hard.” — You’re right… it is. However, not impossible. This week I created this meal out of thin air on a whim in order to get a meal ready for the family and I thought it would be nice to share this meal with you. It was delicious, the children loved it and the leftovers got eaten the following day. (Which never happens.)

Here are the ingredients:

• 3lb ground beef

• 8oz can of Huntz Tomato Sauce

• Two 15.5 oz cans of Great Value Chili Beans (Wal*Mart Brand)

• 14.5 oz can of Great Value Diced Tomatoes

• 16 oz bag of Great Value Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne Pasta

• 16 oz container of Great Value Whipped Cream Cheese

• Italian seasoning

• Oregano

• Cooking spray (The brand can be of your choosing. We use Great Value butter cooking spray)

• Salt & Pepper

• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Step 2: Boil penne pasta in a large pot and brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Step 3: Drain pasta and set aside. Step 4: Drain grease from beef and add to large bowl. Step 4: Add all other ingredients to your large bowl and mix together. Step 5: Line your 10.3 X 14.5 clear oven dish with cooking spray. Step 5: Add 1/4th mixture of items (excluding pasta) to a 10.3 X 14.5 clear oven dish. (Enough to coat the bottom) Step 6: Add all cooked pasta to 10.3 X 14.5 clear oven dish (do not mix). Step 7: Add the remaining 3/4th of mixture to the top of the 10.3 X 14.5 clear oven dish. Step 8: Coat the top of your meal with Grated Parmesan Cheese. (The amount should be to taste. We cover the entire top of the dish, but some may wish to just sprinkle the top.) Step 8: Place in the oven for 35 minutes. Step 9: Set meal out to cool for 3–5 minutes and serve. Serves 6

This meal was a complete creation from scratch. I needed something quick and easy that I knew would get a thumbs up from the little ones. It seemed like a no brainer to create a casserole meal that had tastes the kids were familiar with.

I hope this meal brings you and your family as much joy as it brought me and mine.

🧡Shine Bright, Kayla