I grew up on casseroles; they are a great way to feed a family or a large crowd. Casseroles may take time to prepare but that can be done a day or even two before (or longer and freeze it) and since they cook in the oven you don’t need to babysit it, the first one home can just pop it into the oven. I usually try to have my casseroles be the complete meal so that simplifies things, and there are usually leftovers for lunches or another meal. I am using the Puttanesca sauce from the Tomato Sauce blog, some pasta and cheese to make this one, but the choices are endless.
Pasta Casserole
Serves 10
Prep time: 15 minutes
1 hr minutes
6 cups (1.5 L) Puttanesca sauce [0]
1 pkg (500 g) Compliments Sensations Fusilloni [1]
1 cup (250 mL) grated parmesan cheese
3/4 of a 150 g package Compliments Pepper Goats Milk Cheese [2]
- Pre heat the oven to 350°F (180°C)
- Cook the pasta as directed. Drain well.
- In the same pot or a large bowl combine the pasta, sauce and goat cheese. Transfer to an appropriate size casserole dish (I used a 10 x 12 inch). Top with parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Insert an instant read thermometer into the very centre of the casserole reads 165°F
Nutritional Analysis per Serving:
Energy: 130 cal
Protein: 9g
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 0.1g
Cholesterol: 260mg
Carbohydrates: 4g
Fiber: 1g
Sodium: 125mg
Potassium: 137.7mg
I used only 3/4 package of goat's cheese because I had used the first 1/4 in an earlier blog, you can use a whole package so there will be no leftovers kicking around in the fridge. So if you have some time prep up a batch for a future dinner, this will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and freezes well. Thaw before cooking or cook from frozen for about double the time. If the top is getting too dark tent with some tin foil but do not let it touch the top of the casserole.
Give this casserole a try, I hope that you like it!
Regards,
Chef Ian