Pseudo lasagne for the lazy

[alias_sqbr]

I've made this a couple of times, and it's always turned out nice and lasgane-craving-satisfying, even though by it's nature it's made when I'm feeling apathetic (lasagne for one or two people is just way too much effort). It's a random mix of several recipes and rather mix-and-match. Basically, you mix what would be the ingredients for a pasta sauce together with cooked spirals in a casserole dish, then cover in a cheese sauce and bake.

Easily made vegetarian or even vegan, I would say.

Quantities are up to you, and I assume that you know how to make béchamel sauce. If you're not sure, read a lasagne recipe to get an idea :)

Ingredients
Bottled pasta sauce (I use 5 Brothers "roast garlic and onion")
Cooked pasta spirals (I use wholemeal)
One or more vegetables or meats chopped up small-ish for mixing and cooked if necessary, ie:

• mince (beef or kangaroo) or some other meat like bacon or chicken
  
• fresh spinach
  
• Other vegetables, cooked eggplant or mushrooms are nice

Béchamel sauce (or see below)
grated cheese (mozzarella or parmesan by preference)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C and cook pasta/meat/vegies (I try to use pre-cooked leftovers).
Mix vegies/meat in a casserole dish with some of the pasta sauce until all stuck together. Add the cooked pasta (preferably still warm) and if necessary add more pasta sauce (it's going to dry out a bit in the oven but you don't want it to be too goopy)
Pour over the béchamel sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bake for as long as you would a lasagne, about 20 minutes for a 1-2 person version. Since it's all cooked already, all that matters is that it's warm and nicely toasted.

To be super lazy you can use ricotta + salt, pepper and nutmeg instead of béchamel, but it's been so long since I did that that I don't feel comfortable giving out instructions. One time I cooked it with no milk sauce at all, then when it was all dried out poured over evaporated milk and a little cottage cheese and baked some more,which actually worked ok but is way dodgy :)

Comments

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

Doesn't look lazy to me :-) I used to do something similar a long time ago, probably during one of my long-lost sauce-making phases. I always thought the spiral pasta approach gave a better blend of flavours than using sheets.

I remember lots of dirty pots.

[volandum.livejournal.com]

Spinach in a pasta bake? How does that come out?

[stephiepenguin.livejournal.com]

spinach in a pasta bake comes out DELICIOUS. just shred it or chop it roughly, then add it raw to the bake.

[alias_sqbr]

Well, at least there isn't all that layering :)

And hey, there's...uh... one less pot than lasagne!

One pot version: mix pasta and one of those pasta bakes that cooks the pasta (a tomato-ey one)
Cook. At the end, cover in seasoned ricotta and cheese and bake some more.

Happy? :)

[alias_sqbr]

Seconded. Though I did learn that the chopping is pretty crucial, otherwise it still tastes good but mixes very badly :)

[volandum.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I shall experiment then!