We were longing for something hot and cheesy for dinner last night and I thought about lasagna. A check into the cupboards and I discovered I didn't have any lasagna noodles, ground beef, or pasta sauce. It was time to get inventive and keep myself away from the temptations of the grocery store!
Since I did have cheese on hand, I had that portion of the meal. I peek in the freezer found a box and a half of breakfast sausage. It came to only ten ounces but I had ideas churning in my mind now.
I brown the sausage and then roughly ground them up and then added them back to the frying pan with some finely diced onion and garlic. A half cup of red wine, some spices, a can of diced tomatoes, a little simmering and it was starting to smell like dinner.
I cooked 16 ounces of rigatoni pasta to almost done as it would finish off in the oven. I drained the pasto and put it in a large bowl. I added two eggs and the sausage/onion mixture and stirred until well combined.
I grated 3/4 cup of Romano cheese, set it aside. I melted a half stick of butter in a saucepan and then added 1/4 cup flour, stirring constantly to prevent lumping and letting it brown just a little bit. I added two cups of milk and kept whisking and cooking until it thickened. Salt, pepper, and a dash of chili flakes plus the cheese was added and stirring continued until it was smooth.
I spread the meat/pasta mixture into a large, oblong baking dish. I topped that with a cup of grated Mozzerela cheese and then the Romano sauce. I baked it at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes until it was hot and bubblling. My teen son had two helpings with the only suggestion being I put the chili flakes out for extra sprinkling on his serving.
We didn't exactly have lasagna but we got a dish large enough to take care of dinner and provide leftovers for another meal tomorrow. And I didn't have to go to the store!
Anyone want a more precise recipe, let me know!
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