Rule Breaker - Pasta

I'm terrible at following a recipe, and when I say terrible, I don't mean I can't follow directions I mean I cannot get my brain to follow the rules. Rules. Rules just limit me in the kitchen. Some people are rule followers, some people choose a different path, like me. It makes no sense, a recipe may say 'add a teaspoon of salt' and I throw in 2 pinches. A recipe calls for 'a cup of flour', and I'll scoop a rounded Cup measure overflowing with flour and then shake a little off the top maybe. My grandma, Jeanne, she always used a knife to level the flour off the top of a cup measure to make a perfect flat surface; the perfect Cup measure. Anyways, I just can't do it. Maybe it's the rebel in me. That is probably why I can never make the same dish exactly the same twice. My mom always gives me a hard time for not following directions, especially when I bomb recipes...I get questioned step by step of what I did and there is usually some horrendous misunderstanding or mishap on my end. And tonight....TONIGHT while I'm making HER recipe of Beef Stroganoff (the best flipping grey gravy goo that will ever touch your taste buds) she took over because she doesn't even follow her recipe.  The apple doesn't fall from the tree people...not far at all. Her recipe called for teaspoons of paprika - she just "pours some" and it calls for salt - she chooses to omit it, it doesn't even list minced onion, but yet she shakes some of that in, too. Ladies and gentlemen, my mom is a wonderful cook and she has taught me endless tips in the kitchen but following a recipe to a T is not one of them. So if you're worried about following the rules in the kitchen, I like to think recipes are guidelines for numerous experiments. Unless you're baking, in which case you should probably stick to it pretty closely, unless you're a rebel like me and just can't do it!


This week we had family over for my husbands favorite meal. His mom used to always make a beef manicotti that was DELICIOUS and I loved it when she made that for us. After we got married my MIL gave me the recipe, and I got lazy (no surprise there) so I modified the recipe because I'm so great at following directions anyways, and I came up with what I like to lamely call "Pasta Bake"

Pasta Bake

1 box Penne Pasta 

1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce

1 lb ground beef

1 1/2 C shredded cheese (mozzarella or whatever's in the fridge)

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

2 tsp garlic, minced (I often have a jar of minced garlic on hand in my fridge)

1 onion, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and pull out a 9X13.

Boil a large pot of water (I know so descriptive) and add a pinch of salt to the water. Once it's boiling cook the penne pasta according to box directions. I like my pasta to be al dente and it usually calls for 10-12 minutes and I don't boil past 8 minutes. While you're waiting for the water to boil, brown the ground beef in a large frying pan. If you are adding onion, chop up your onion in small pieces (diced or minced) my husband doesn't like big chunks so I cut pretty thin. Saute the onions with the ground beef until the onions are translucent. I usually add the minced garlic at this point, too. Once the ground beef is fully cooked, and the onion is translucent (no longer white) I turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then I add about a 1/2 Cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 Cup cheese, 1 tsp italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and egg. I stir this all together and set aside.

Once the noodles are cooked, strain the noodles. Put the noodles back into the large pot. Add another 1/2 C of spaghetti sauce to the noodles, stir. Add the meat mixture to the noodles, mix. Set aside. Pour enough spaghetti sauce to just cover the bottom of the 9X13. Reserve about a half a cup of spaghetti sauce for the top of the casserole. Add any remaining sauce into the noodle/meat mixture. Pour the meat/noodle mixture into the 9X13. Top with reserved spaghetti sauce. Then sprinkle with remaining cheese on top, and Italian seasoning. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling on edges and hot in center. If the cheese is browning too quickly you can always cover with foil.

I love this recipe. It's easy and I mix everything in the one pot so it's relatively easy clean up. As you make it, you can add different cheese or use different types of noodles. We double this recipe often, and sometimes I'll only use 1 lb of ground beef while doubling it and it is still delicious and no one notices there's a little less meat. And this makes great left overs!

Maybe...just maybe I'll be able to share my mom's fantastic beef stroganoff someday...if I can ever get the REAL recipe!