Johnny Marzetti Casserole | Real Balanced

Ingredients

• nonstick spray or oil (for greasing the baking dish)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced (or 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic))
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 24-ounce jar pasta sauce
• 2 cups hot water (doesn’t need to be boiling)
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in tomato juice (undrained)
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
• aluminum foil (for covering the baking dish)
• Freshly-cracked pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley or basil