Baked Macaroni
This has to be a classic. This little book wouldn't be complete without my mother-in-law's recipe. Everyone loved it. I have never seen this dish in any restaurant and many people have never even heard of it. I'm sure it came from her mother who was from Sicily. This is a rather sweet sauce but you can control this by adding less sugar. It is really great if it has sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- 4 T. of butter
- 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
- 1 cup of water or more if needed
- 2 large cans of tomato puree 28 oz.
- 1 pound of penne or other short ribbed pasta
- 1/3 cup each of chopped fresh parsley and basil
- 1 pound of shredded Swiss cheese
- salt and pepper about 1 tsp. each
- sugar I start with about a 1/2 cup
Instructions
- In a large sauce pot over medium heat brown the ground chuck, drain off water or fat
- Add the butter and mix till butter has melted.
- Add the tomato paste, stir till well blended
- Add the 2 cans of tomato puree and salt and pepper
- Add more water if mixture seems too thick
- Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar and cook for 30 minutes then test for desired sweetness
- Cook for another 30 minutes
- While sauce cooks, bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt and pasta and cook till still firm, about 7 minutes, drain well and add about 1 1/2 cups sauce to pasta
- Spray a large foil pan (the kind you get at the Dollar Store) and add sauce to the bottom of the pan
- Add and layer of pasta, a layer of Swiss cheese and more sauce
- Repeat till sauce and cheese are all used, save some sauce for the top
- Cover the casserole and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes till bubbly
- Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer till top is brown
Notes
I use the foil pans that are about 9 x 12 and 4 inches high. They are slightly tapered towards the bottom. Because you are using a whole pound of grated cheese the pan should be deep.
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