Hi Friends 🙂
This week’s recipe is actually from one of our family friends! I went home over reading break and came back with a newfound pasta recipe! Part of me wishes that I got a new recipe, but this pasta dish just hit different… This pasta dish called the “Super Bowl Pasta Bake” was created over a SuperBowl weekend a few years ago. In 2023, it is now a household staple for one a friend of my Dads. Since the SuperBowl has passed (Yay Chiefs!) and I didn’t get to see the entire family, I went during Reading break, and my Dad’s friend came over and made this dish with me. I was his student for the day! The experience was so much fun and I learned a lot about slowly letting a sauce boil and bubble. The wait was worth it, and you can find my review and score below the recipe 🙂 There is not real serving size of time to cook that was precise, but from what I can remember, I would give the total time (from prep to ready-to-eat) about 2 hours-ish?
Recipe:
Pasta/Toppings
- Penne Pasta
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Sauce:
- 2 jars of Tomato Sauce
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 6 Cloves of Garlic
- 2 Small Pieces of Ginger
- 1 Celery
- 5 Carrots
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 8 Mushrooms
- 1 packet of Beyond Meat Fake Meat
- 1 container Ricotta Cheese
- 1/2 jar of Pesto
- 4 tbsp of Hot Sauce
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Tex Mex Seasoning
Cooking Process:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- Medium Heat
- Cook onions, ginger, and garlic (in this order) for 3-4 minutes or until light brown
- Throw in Carrots and Bell Peppers and cook for 6-7 minutes
- Add in Celery and keep cooking for 4 minutes
- Add in first round of spices in the list above and stir well
- Low Heat
- Add Mushrooms in last for 5 minutes before adding sauce
- Stir in Tomato Sauce jars and simmer for 40 minutes on very low heat
- Add in second round of seasoning
- Add in hot sauce (spice level varies dependent upon preference of the group)
- Oven Prep:
- Add pasta mixture to a glass dish and stir in pesto while the pasta is in the glass dish
- Layer on Mozzarella cheese on top (generous amount)
Oven:
- Cover Pasta dish with tinfoil
- Bake pasta for 40 minutes
Bon Appétit 🙂
*Drum Rollllll………* THIS PASTA WAS AMAZING! I would give it a 9/10
My Grandma even loved this one, and it’s really hard for anyone (including us) to impress her when it comes to cooking anything – and I mean ANYTHING. It could even be toast, and it would have to be prepared a certain way. She prefers her own cooking, even at the age of 84! I have tried making dishes on and off for her for a while, and there’s always something that needs fixing. But this dish was the first time in years where my Grandma has enjoyed it without any suggestions. Just wild. I really liked the addition of the cheese in the sauce (the Ricotta); however, I think what would’ve made this dish a 10, would be to use Cottage cheese instead. Ricotta cheese has a grainier texture and works better in Lasagna, whereas Cottage cheese is silkier and smoother. I think texture wise it is at a 9, but overall it was delicious nonetheless and the taste and presentation was awesome!
Til’ next time… Shefali out 🙂