Most of the time when we have pasta, it's simply a sauce put over the pasta before serving. It's easy, quick (especially when I have some frozen pasta sauce from my garden), and our family's favorite. But once in awhile, I feel like something a little different.
Something oozing with cheese.
I think anything with lots of oozing cheese is comfort food- don't you?
So when that mood strikes, I've got to make this baked pasta dish.
Start by browning the meat of your choice. Here it's some ground elk given to us by friends, but our favorite is Hot Italian sausage. I added a few red pepper flakes to this elk.
Of course, you don't have to put any meat in it at all, but my family heaves a collective sigh when I don't, so I put some in (even if it's just a bit!).
Start some water boiling for the noodles. I use whatever I happen to have. This time I used half a box of penne and a whole box of rotini. This made enough to fill a 13x9 pan, so we had plenty of leftovers for lunches.
This is my frozen Roasted Tomato/Vegetable Sauce that I make in August and September with my garden produce. When I'm making it, I'm thinking how good it will be in the depths of winter.
Which is right now, so it's a good thing.
If you don't have a sauce you can pull from the freezer, it's easy to make one from canned tomatoes, onions and garlic. Just saute the onions and garlic in olive oil, add the tomatoes, some salt and pepper and a few herbs (basil, oregano, etc.) and let it simmer while the pasta cooks.
When I've got the sauce and meat simmering all together, I go a little crazy and add a bit of cream cheese. I only do this when making a baked pasta, though I don't know why it appeals to me here. I just like the creaminess it adds.
Have I ever mentioned my dislike (phobia? disgust?) with gloppy white foods? I can't stand cream cheese on bagels, mayo oozing out of a sandwich, even butter if it's thick. It actually turns my stomach to even see others eating any gloppy white stuff. I think it might go all the way back to kindergarten when a girl would sit across from me and eat paste. Literally. Eat. Paste.
And she'd look at me while she did it, 'cause she knew it grossed me out.
Maybe I need therapy.
But I do like to use cream cheese in cooking. See how it makes a creamy-looking sauce?
By now (well, before now, but I got caught up in telling you all about my kindergarten angst), the pasta should be done. Drain it and return it to the pot.
Pour on the sauce and mix it all together.
Grab a baking pan, grease with a little olive oil, and spread half of the pasta mixture into it. Sprinkle the cheese of your choice - mozzarella, jack, cheddar, goat, or really anything that sounds good- and then add the rest of the pasta, spreading evenly. Add another layer of cheese on top, and sprinkle with some Parmesan. Putting two layers of cheese is my way of making sure the cheese actually "oozes."
As you can see, this is completely adaptable to whatever you've got on hand- a perfect "pantry challenge" kind of meal.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
And be comforted.
Versatile Baked Pasta
- 1 lb. of ground meat (optional)
- 4 cups of tomato pasta sauce
- 1 lb. pasta of choice (Penne, Rotini, Ziti, etc.)
- 4 oz. cream cheese (optional)
- 4 cups grated cheese (mozzarella, jack, cheddar, etc.)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- Cook pasta according to directions in a large pot. While pasta is cooking, brown the meat and make the pasta sauce, if needed. Add the sauce to the meat, mix and add the cream cheese, if using.
- Drain the pasta and return it to the cooking pot. Add the meat-sauce mixture and stir until evenly coated.
- Grease a baking dish (13x9) and spoon half of the pasta mixture onto the bottom. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese and then top with remaining pasta. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top as well as the Parmesan.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.
-Jami
This is linked to Finer Things Friday at Kitchen Stewardship and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.
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