Mmmmm pasta! I know I recently posted another pasta recipe, but I just can’t help myself. I love pasta. I dream of pasta. I could eat pasta for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.Same kind, different kinds, it wouldn’t matter.
I love the variety that comes with pasta. Sauces rich in tomatoes, cream, wine, or oil. Texture in the form of meats, veggies, or nuts. Pasta can be served hot or cold; it can be a sweet pasta or a savory pasta. Almost anything can be added to pasta to make it unique or different or more suited to a particular occasion. I’ve had peanut butter sauce on my pasta, and I’ve even had spaghetti omelets [when I was studying abroad in Cameroon]. It can be light and healthy or more indulgent. I love them all.
Perhaps my most favorite pasta dish of all time is lasagna. I grew up loving and always requesting my grandma’s lasagna. To this day, I can’t order lasagna in a restaurant or at a friend’s without being disappointed and comparing it to the family version. But alas, I do occasionally try a new recipe. This non-typical lasagna doesn’t disappoint. Comprised of the same red sauce, gooey cheese, and Italian seasonings as a traditoinal lasagna, this dish stands out in the noodle selection. Instead of flat lasagna noodles, I used Radiatore noodles, which are small, short noodles that are wavy and fun.
Another perk of this lasgana, besides it’s great taste, is that it’s easy to make and bakes up quickly. You can really use any small noodle shape you like, but you’ll have fun with the Radiatore!
Radiatore Lasagna
inspired by Sound Eats
Ingredients:
- 1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 16 ounces Radiatore pasta
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ground pepper
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 26 ounces prepared spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese [I like to grate mine if possible but feel free to buy the pre-shredded stuff too!]
- cooking spray
Directions:
In a large stock pot, begin boiling water for your pasta. Use Lynn’s tips for cooking pasta. They’re great! Add in Radiatore when water is boiling and cook to al dente according to package directions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, brown 1 pound ground beef with 1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped. Drain fat and return to pan. Mix in spaghetti sauce and red wine, stir to combine. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan, and all herbs together. Set aside.
When all components are prepared, grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Layer your dish with 1/4 of the sauce, 1/3 of the pasta, 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture, and 1/2 cup of Mozzarella. Repeat once, then top with 1/4 of the sauce, the rest of the pasta [1/3 of what you made], the rest of the cottage cheese mixture [again, 1/3 of what you made], the rest of the sauce, and the rest of the cheese [1 cup].
I know that’s complicated but I did it this way because I like the top to be covered with sauce and cheese so the noodles don’t dry out. But really, you can be creative and flexible with these measurements… I just eyeballed it. You could even mix the noodles and sauce together and do a layer of noodley/sauce goodness, the cottage cheese, half of the Mozzarella, the rest of the noodles, then the rest of the cheese. Anything goes! There are no lasagna police out there, I promise you!
Then bake your lasagna for 30 minutes, then turn up the oven to broil and let it broil for a minute or so–just until the cheese gets bubbly and brown on top.
Be sure to watch it carefully under the broiler so the pasta doesn’t burn. That would be so sad. But you won’t be sad when you’re eating this cheesy, noodlely, and saucy goodness. No, no, no! You will be so happy. 🙂
What family recipe is your absolute favorite?
The Pajama Chef 