Pasta with a twist.

This really is just a variation on the Macaroni Shepherds pie that I made a few nights ago.  Hubby said he wanted pasta for dinner. While it's cheap and cheerful, using the same old ingredients after a while, can get boring.  So, I decided to add a few extra ingredients to the sauce and see how it turned out.  As it happens, it was just delicious and I'm so glad I tried it!  It also gives me hope that in the future, I'll be able to just throw something together, trusting that it goes well together, and not worry about how it might taste lol.

So, here's my Pasta with a twist.

Ingredients:

For the meat layer:

• 1TBS Cooking oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped.
• Mushrooms, chopped however you like them.  Also, use as many or as few as you like.  I used 7.
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Jar of your favorite pasta Sauce.  I just used Western Family Original Tomato Sauce.
• 1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tsp BBQ Sauce.  I used Western Family Garlic BBQ Sauce.

For the topping:

• 2 cups of Macaroni
• 1½ to 2 cups of Mature cheddar cheese, grated.
• Quarter cup of Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
• 2 Tsp dried Italian herb Mix.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the Ground Beef and cook, stirring now and again, till the meat is brown and has separated.  Take off the heat, and drain the fat from the pan.  Replace the meat in the pan, and add the rest of the ingredients for the meat layer.  Turn the heat down to Low, and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.  Remove the Bay leaf and pour into a lasagna dish.  Set aside.

Bring a pan of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, a Teaspoon of cooking oil (This prevents the pasta sticking together), and the Macaroni.  Cook until al dente (around 7 minutes or so.).  Drain well, then pour on top of the meat sauce in the Lasagne dish.  Sprinkle the Parmesan Cheese and herbs on top of the pasta, then top with the grated Cheddar cheese.



Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the cheese and bubbling and starting to turn golden on top.  You can use the broil setting to turn the cheese golden if you like after it's cooked.  Once cooked, take out of the oven, leave for five minutes to cool slightly and serve.


I served this just with a Garlic Loaf, and it was fantastic.  Filling and hearty for another chilly fall evening.


Till next time, keep cookin'!