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Friday, December 20, 2013

Christmas Pasta Casserole

Hello and welcome! 

Today's dish was one that could only be called "Improv Cooking" (thanks to Alec for the term). While cleaning out all the food in Turman, Lauren and I decided it was time to have an actual meal. To be honest it has little to do with Christmas other than being red and green with "snow", but I suppose that says something for my one-track mind...

The Recipe: Christmas Pasta Casserole
  • 1 Box Penne Pasta
  • 1 cup Spinach Leaves
  • 1 can Crushed Tomatoes
  • Parmesan Cheese to taste
The Process: 
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (176.6 degrees Celsius)
  2. Boil enough water to fill 3/4 of a pot on the stove. 
  3. Cook pasta to desired consistency. 7-8 minutes should produce al dente pasta, depending on your stove. 
  4. Strain pasta and transfer to bowl. 
  5. Mix spinach, tomatoes, and cheese with pasta. 
  6. Transfer to casserole (or other oven-safe) dish. 
  7. Sprinkle the top with cheese. 
  8. Bake for 5-10 minutes (as desired). 
  9. Enjoy!
The Calories: 
Pasta: 800 calories
Tomatoes: 136 calories 
Spinach: 7 calories
Cheese: 52 calories
_______________________
TOTAL: 995 calories


Divided by the two of us, this makes a very nice filling meal of only 498 calories each, made of quite healthy components! 

What went right: 
          The pasta was cooked nicely, the spinach was great even though it wasn't sauteed, and the whole dish really fit together quite well! 

What went wrong: 
          Nothing necessarily wrong. I don't know that I can classify it correctly as a casserole without the massive amounts of cheesy layers and far more ingredients, but I can say that it's delicious! 

What would I do next time: 
           Potentially add sauteed zucchini and mushroom. and bake slightly longer. 

Overall, this was a great dish that will definitely be made over and over! 


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