No Recipe Pasta Bake

This isn’t really a recipe but more a method to stretch that little bit of pasta sauce, bolognese usually, to feed the family on those days that you just can’t be bothered thinking what to cook. The vegetables added are totally up to what your family likes or dislikes or simply what you have in your refrigerator. The bacon is totally optional or you could add salami or chorizo, once again what you have on hand. Or it could be made vegetarian by using just napoli sauce and omitting the bacon etc. As I said this is more a method as the variable are up to you, pasta and cheese are not optional though!

Ingredients

• Olive oil 2-3 tbsps
• I onion, sliced
• 125 gm bacon, chopped (optional)
• 150 -175 gm mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red capsicum, sliced
• salt and pepper to season
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• chilli flakes (optional)
• leftover bolognese sauce 1 – 1/2 cups
• 1 cup tomato passata or napoli sauce
• 500gm short pasta ie penne or casarecce
• melting cheese, grated ie pizza cheese mix

Directions

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water according to the packet directions. Drain, making sure to reserve a cup of the cooking water, and run the pasta under cold running water to stop it cooking.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Heat the olive oil in a large frypan on a medium heat. Feel free to use more olive oil as it can help form part of the sauce. Add the onion and bacon and saute for about 5 minutes to soften the onions and render the fat from the bacon.

Add the mushrooms and capsicum to the frypan, season with salt and pepper and saute for 5-8 minutes until the capsicum is softened and the mushroom is cooked.

Add the garlic and saute until the garlic is fragrant. Add in the bolognese sauce, passata and a sprinkle of chilli flakes, if using. Stir and bring to a simmer, taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or chilli flakes. Remember the sauce needs to have enough seasoning to flavour up all that pasta.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked, drained pasta, adding in pasta cooking water as needed to get the sauce/pasta consistency you are happy with.

Lightly oil a large oven proof dish, this helps with the washing up, and add in the saucy pasta. Level out the pasta so it is an even thickness in the dish.

Top with as much or little cheese as you wish, the more the better in my opinion.

At this stage the dish can be covered and refrigerated until need or cooked straight away. Place on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and cook about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melting and golden and the pasta is piping hot. If the dish has been refrigerated it could take a little bit longer.

An all in one dinner, serve with a leafy salad along side if you wish. I hope this no recipe, recipe has given you inspiration and if you do give it a try please leave a comment. Enjoy. Sheryl x