Undergoing chemo has really made me watch what I am eating. We had my easy taco casserole one night and I was instantly affected by it in a negative way. So, I was a bit hesitant with this recipe, but all turned out well. Here is an easy pasta dish whose recipes comes from Ree Drummond over at The Pioneer Woman. I did tweak the recipe a bit, but I really fell in love with the sauce. The cheese was just a bonus! Here is a preview…
Preview
Shall we head into the kitchen?
Ingredients
2 TBS olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1# Italian sausage
1# ground beef
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 14.5 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasonings
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz. uncooked mostaciolli (The Pioneer Woman says to use Ziti but I could not find this in our grocery stores)
15 oz. tub of ricotta
1 1/2#’s shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup blend of asiago, parmesan, and reggiano
1 egg
Let’s get started! In a large skillet heat up the olive oil. When hot add the garlic and the onions and cook until just transparent. Then add the Italian sausage and hamburger and brown breaking these up into little bits as it cooks.
Brown the sausage and beef
Drain most of the fat off. Leave just a bit so that it adds flavor.
Leave a bit of the fat in the pan
Next add the tomatoes along with the juice, tomato sauce, Italian seasonings, and red pepper flakes. Stir this up really well and then set it to a simmer for about a half hour.
The sauce
While this is cooking let’s get the cheese mixture made and get the pasta cooked! For the cheese, in a bowl add the ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella and the cheese blend. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Crack in your egg and slightly mix.
The cheese before stirring
This should be lumpy.
The cheese after stirring
Get your pasta cooked until it is al dente. Drain your pasta and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Cool down the pasta
Now preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
By now your sauce should be done with the simmering phase. Remove 4 cups of sauce to a bowl and allow it to cool. Turn the heat off on the sauce. After a bit, check on the sauce that you set aside. It should be cooling nicely! Once the sauce has cooled add it to the bowl of cheese and stir to combine. Then toss in the pasta and give it a nice even coating.
The pasta mixed with the cheese and 4 cups of sauce
Take a lasagna pan or casserole dish and spoon in 1/2 of the pasta mixture.
The first layer
Top with 1/2 the sauce.
The second layer
Top with 1/2 the remaining cheese.
The third layer
Repeat the layers and it is ready to bake!
Ready for the oven
Bake this for 20 minutes until it is bubbly!
Just out of the oven
Remove from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes and then serve it up! Serve this up with some crusty garlic bread and a green salad!
Dinner is served
Here are some suggestions for some other changes and additions. Instead of using Italian sausage, try the basil Italian sausage, or the hot Italian sausage. Or, increase the canned tomatoes with the addition of one can and add in 1 1/2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms.
I love this sauce so much that the next time I make a lasagna this will be the sauce that I use!
I hope that you give this recipe a whirl!
Thanks for stopping by today, and may you have a magnificent Monday! Be well! ^..^
Life in the Foothills 