I wanted Mac and Cheese, but I also wanted Spaghetti. So I combined them. I’m so glad I did.
Ingredients
1/2 lb. (or enough for 2-4 people) spaghetti or other pasta
Spaghetti Sauce:
1/2 to 1 lb. ground beef
1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 leek, washed and chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
I C cauliflower, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1/2 C kale, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
3 sprigs fresh oregano (or about 1 t dried), chopped
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 t dried basil
1 t dried parsley
1/2 t dried thyme
salt
pepper
1 T olive oil
Bechamel Sauce (cheese sauce) 2 T olive oil
2 T flour
1 t spicy brown mustard
1-2 C pasta water
1 C milk (I used 2%)
1 C cheese (parmesan and cheddar)
salt
pepper
1 t smoked paprika
Instructions
Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook meat. Drain and wipe out pan if necessary.
Add to meat pan: 1 T olive oil, leek, carrot, cauliflower, and garlic. Cook until veggies are tender (about 5-10 minutes) over med heat. Add tomato sauce, herbs, and seasonings.
Drain pasta, reserving 1-2 C water (helps the sauce stick to the pasta). (If meat sauce is finished first, add pasta water, adding enough until it reaches desired consistency, cover and let simmer on lowest heat setting.)
Heat oil in a pan. Add flour and whisk together, cook for 30-60 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk and water. Once it thickens, add mustard and paprika. Turn off heat and add cheese, whisking in.
Top pasta with beef sauce and cheese sauce and more grated parmesan (and fresh basil if you’d like).
Great with a spinach salad with some chopped apple, and orange dressing. Or, garlic bread would of course be good.
Notes
2/5 (only because you have to make a bechamel/cheese sauce, which can be difficult at first)
Hello!!! It’s time for another episode of A Cooking Show with Rachel O!! I made a Pulled Pork Sandwich with Coleslaw which = a tasty (really messy) sandwich! There’s also a special little feature – the winner of the Joy the Baker cookbook giveaway is revealed on the show!
I got some pork from one of my sponsors, Llano Seco Organic Pork, a couple of weeks ago. I roasted it last week, and have been trying to be creative with the leftovers (it’s the pork I used in last week’s episode as well). If you don’t have pork, you could totally substitute beef, chicken, or even grated veggies (like carrots, squash, parsnips, beets – veggies that aren’t going to turn into mush – just don’t cook them as long). The pork was combined with homemade BBQ sauce, green garlic, pea tendrils, and chard from my Abundant Harvest Organics box, and cooked for hours and hours! There’s cabbage and a grated carrot in the coleslaw, potatoes making the home fries.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Coleslaw
Recipe Type: Sandwich, Crock Pot
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 4 hours
Total time: 4 hours 25 mins
Serves: 4-6
Pulled Pork meets Coleslaw.
Ingredients
2 C BBQ sauce
4-6 C water (enough to cover the pork)
4-6 C pork (I used leftovers, in large slices) (chicken or beef could be substituted)
1 T olive oil
1 green garlic, chopped
3-4 C greens (I used pea tendrils and chard, spinach/kale would also work well)
Drizzle Crock Pot with olive oil, pour a little water and a little BBQ sauce in the bottom. Add pork. Cover with remaining water and BBQ sauce. Cook for 2-4 hours on high, or 4-6 on low (or more!!!! if you have the time, I’d cook for 6-8 hours on low!!).
Add green garlic after pork has cooked for about an hour.
After 2-3 hours, in Crock Pot or on a cutting board, using 2 forks, shred the pork. Return to Crock Pot and continue to cook (on low or high, between 1-5 more hours – make sure there’s enough liquid so it doesn’t burn!).
About 30 minutes before serving, add greens to Crock Pot and combine with pork.
Assemble sandwich: bread/roll, pork, tomato slices, coleslaw (or coleslaw, tomato), drizzle a little BBQ juice over, top with bread. You can dip one slice/side of the bread/roll into the BBQ juice in the Crock Pot… it will make it extra messy! Serve with more coleslaw on the side, and home fries.
On the show, I said to cook it 2-4 hours. That’s fine. But, if you have time, I’d cook it for more like 6-8, on low, with plenty of liquid. After I finished filming, I kept it cooking until dinner time. It was amazing!
The bread that I used got really soggy! It became a knife and fork sandwich. I used what I had, but if I was buying/making something specifically for this meal, I’d use a roll that’s got a good crust on it, that wouldn’t fall apart. All in all, it was a yummy 2 napkin meal!
I love pasta. It’s easy and can be quick, or, like this recipe, take its time. It’s versatile too. You can do a tomato sauce, or a cream sauce, or a bechamel (cheese) sauce, or burned butter‚ or just a bit of olive oil. Usually something can be made out of what we have on hand in the veggie drawer and the pantry. This one took a bit of time (mostly hands off cooking time though), but in a pinch, like if you need something to make right now, just don’t cook it as long. Simple. Done. Dinner’s ready. Here’s to pasta after a long day…
Pasta Rouge
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Main, Pasta
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 90 mins
Total time: 1 hour 45 mins
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
1 t to 1 T bacon grease
2 T olive oil
1 squash, chopped
1 plum tomato, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 T red wine vinegar
1 1/2 t reduced balsamic vinegar
1 T fresh oregano, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
3 T dried basil, crushed
2 T dried parsley, crushed
1 C mushrooms, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 lb. ground beef
drizzle honey
2 C chicken stock
2 C crushed tomatoes
1/4 C red wine
1/4 C pasta water
salt
pepper
1 package penne pasta (I used rice pasta)
Instructions
Saute onion and squash in bacon grease and olive oil. Add diced tomato and garlic after a few minutes and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 T balsamic, all red wine vinegar, wine, crushed tomatoes and seasonings when the veggies are tender. Cook 15-30 minutes. Remove from heat and use immersion blender to puree.
Meanwhile, cook beef in 1 T oil. When it’s cooked, add mushrooms. Drizzle with honey and remaining balsamic. Add stock and tomato puree. Simmer 1 hour.
Cook pasta. Add 1/4 C pasta water to tomato sauce.
Serve topped with parmesan cheese, fresh basil, with garlic bread and a salad.
Do you turn your nose at meatloaf? This dish has a stigma attached to it that it’s, I dunno, too simple?? My husband has been asking for meatloaf for years. Not like every day, but every once in a while will mention that he likes it and wouldn’t mind eating it. But I thought I didn’t like it, and didn’t want to make it.
My mom is a good cook. I remember her making meatloaf and I think I might have liked it. So it’s not like I had a terrible meatloaf eating experience as a child. I just had an opinion based on nothing.
Until I made it. It’s basically a burger sans bun, with amazing sides like mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, and green beans. And you get to make leftover meatloaf sandwiches with it the next day. Winning.
Since our oven is on week two of being broken, I’ve been creative with the toaster oven. I’ve made pizza in there, roasted broccoli, and last night it was meatloaf.
The dog is licking his lips in the pic. He thinks the plates are for him. He always thinks this.
Want the recipes? OK, sure, I’ll share.
Meatloaf
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4
Because we have two bottles of ketchup in the fridge I was inspired to make meatloaf.
Ingredients
1 small zucchini, grated
1/4 C onion, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
1/4 C ketchup
splash A1 sauce
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 slices bread, torn in small chunks
2 T spicy brown mustard
1 t chili powder
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 egg
3/4 to 1 lb. ground beef
I’ve made this before, slightly differently, by adding homemade BBQ sauce instead of ketchup and 1 grated carrot in addition, not instead of anything)
Instructions
Put it all in a bowl and mix it with your hands.
Grease a 9×9 glass dish (what I used, because it would fit in the toaster, if you want to use a loaf pan, do it, and adjust the baking time accordingly – might take an extra 20 minutes or so). Put the meatloaf in the pan.
Bake at 350F for about an hour or until internal temperature reaches 160F. (I baked it in the toaster oven, so cooking time could vary with a conventional oven.)
2 C beef stock or pan drippings (you could also use vegetable or chicken, but for a beef dinner, beef is best)
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 C water (or more, if you want, or just use all stock)
4 T olive oil, divided
2 T flour
salt (opt.)
Instructions
Heat 2 T oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes.
Move mushrooms over to the side of the pan. Add remaining oil. Heat. Add flour and whisk in. Cook about 30-60 seconds. Add beef stock, water and balsamic vinegar. Whisk.
As it continues to thicken, whisk. Add more water if it’s too thick. It’s good if the mushrooms are incorporated at this point.
Add salt to taste, if necessary.
Serve over mashed potatoes, meatloaf, or any other dish that deserves a little something extra.
