Pasta Bake
Aug 13, 2008 in Cook
(Did you enjoy the Quick Pasta Sauce? Here’s the follow-on recipe! - Ed.)
You’ll need:
- Pasta leftovers.
- A couple of sausages cooked and chopped up or a tin of tuna, or you could even add some bacon which has been grilled and cut up into pieces.
- If you are a veggie, then you can chop up a courgette or an aubergine and use that.
- Some cream - double or single will be fine
- Bread crumbs. I keep the bits of the crusty bread that are becoming a bit dry and put them in the food processor to make bread crumbs and this will keep in an airtight bag for ages in the store cupboard. If you aren’t sad enough to want to do this then you can either hand crumble some bread or use a food processor to make instant breadcrumbs.
- Half a handful of grated Parmesan or a full handful of cheddar cheese.
- Fresh or dried herbs. I suggest parsley and basil as it will parody what you have in the pasta sauce already.
- Olive oil
Principle/ Method
- In a bowl, combine the finely chopped herbs, breadcrumbs and the cheese.
- Add a tablespoonful of the olive oil. Mix it all together.
- In a shallowish oven proof dish, hand mix the cold pasta, cooked sausages and or cooked bacon, veg or fish. Add some of the cream to loosen it all up a bit and spread it evenly around the dish. You’ll need to select a dish that’s appropriate for the amount of pasta you have left over obviously!
- Spread the crumb mixture over the pasta layer.
- Cook in a 160- 180°C preheated oven until the breadcrumb layer is turning golden brown. (takes about 20 mins depending on your oven and the freshness of the breadcrumbs!) The fresher they are, the more moisture it will have and the longer it will take to brown!
- Serve with a nice green salad.
Buon appetito!
