Monday, March 17, 2014

sour cream pasta bake

I really don't think the title of this dish gives it enough credit.

This is one really, really tasty pasta.

Man, I was late for class because I wanted to eat all of my pasta. I just could not stop!



Yes, it was THAT good.


To make the pasta sauce, I diced an onion and a red pepper and minced some garlic cloves.


Into a heated Dutch oven, I added some olive oil and sauteed the onions for about 2-3 minutes, until the onion had turned soft and translucent. I then added minced garlic and cooked a further 30 seconds.


The minced beef was added and sauteed until it had turned slightly brown. Be patient. This may take a while. Just keep on eye on the beef. And give it a stir once in a while.


I added the red pepper and once that had cooked down a little (about 3-4 minutes), I added white wine.



Using a wooden spoon, I scrapped the bottom of the pan to loosen the bits of flavour that were stuck.


Once the wine had reduced by about half, I added tomato puree, salt, pepper, and because I cannot stand the thought of a meal without any vegetables, I added some frozen peas.



 

I gave everything a good stir, lowered the heat right down, and let the sauce bubble and come together while I cooked the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water.

You can use any pasta, but I think a short pasta would work better here, so I used Tortiglioni.

I also chopped a bunch of spring onion.


When the pasta was ready, I reserved some of the pasta water before draining the pasta.

To the pasta, I added sour cream, cottage cheese and spring onion.




Everything was stirred until well-combined.

I dished some pasta into a casserole dish. I used small individual dishes, but you can also make this in a bigger casserole dish.


If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little pasta water. The sauce was ladled over the pasta, followed by Parmesan and then topped with Mozzarella and ground black pepper.




About 10-15 minutes before I wanted to eat, I baked the pasta in a hot oven - 220C. If you are using a larger casserole, you may need to bake the pasta for 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it.


It was so good, I finished the entire bowl.

IN. RECORD. TIME.

SIGH. I got to make this again.

Very soon.

RECIPE
Sour Cream Pasta Bake (Serves 8)
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
1kg ground beef
1 can (15-ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup white wine - I used Chardonnay
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
500g pasta
400ml sour cream
500ml cottage cheese
1 red pepper, seeds removed and diced
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped spring onions (or to taste)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese - I used 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup Mozzarella

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 220C.
2. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add white wine. Scrap of bits stuck at the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon. Add red pepper and stir to mix. Cook for about 2-3 minutes for pepper to soften. Add tomato sauce, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add peas and stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. 5. Add to pasta and stir. Add green onions and stir.
6. To assemble, add half of the pasta to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

This post is linked to Cook like a Star, ALL Stars Anniversary organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Mich from Piece of Cake


4 comments:

  1. Hi Diana,
    This pasta dish looks so delicious! With the amount of ingredients used, it looks so rich and absolutely mouth-watering!
    Thanks for linking!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Joyce this was so good. I am going to make with low-fat everything next time so I can make it more often!

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  2. Hi Diana,

    I have bookmarked this recipe too... for Sep 2013 event but didn't get a chance to cook it... Sad :(

    You said that you are attending classes... I'm curious to know what classes are you attending :p

    Zoe

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    Replies
    1. Hi Zoe, thanks!! I was unsure about making this because it sounded so strange but am so glad I did!! I tutor - I used to teach in a government school but now I just tutor :)

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