Pasta Bolgnese (Ragu) Bake

The Recycled Cook

By Adrian Sleeman

Pasta Bolognese (Ragu) Bake


Did you ever make Pasta Bolognese and end up with a lot of the Bolognese (Ragu) sauce left over? Well here is a nice idea for an oven baked dish that will let you turn that first dish into another, even tastier one.

 Left over pasta doesn't really work well next day so you will probably need to cook of some fresh pasta for this dish. It doesn't matter what pasta you use but a smallish shape suits this well as it is easier to mix into the sauce. 

 I used Orzo (Barley) pasta as it is not only nice and small but has a distinct flavour. You can find this in most good supermarkets or your local Deli but Penne, Farfalinne, Fusilli or Orecchiette (Little Ears) will do just as well. This is a useful list of pasta shapes for you http://pastafits.org/pasta-dictionary/

Simply mix the left over sauce in a large mixing bowl with the pre-cooked pasta and add some finely chopped leftover vegetables. I fried off some onion, garlic red pepper and a large chilli (deseeded) as well as some parsley I had in the fridge but as always use whatever you have that you feel will work and use your imagination. Carrots, celery, parsnips, onions, fennel can all work fine. You can also add some chopped fresh tomatoes but if adding tinned drain some of the liquid off first.


Remember not to over fry the vegetables at this stage as they will cook on further during baking. Add the softened vegetables to the mix and you might want to moisten the mix at this stage with some beef or vegetable stock. If you really want to boost the flavours add some dried oregano to the mix. The Ragu should already be seasoned from the previous dish but you can add some extra black pepper or Pimienton at this stage if you like but avoid adding extra salt.

Cheese topping
Spoon the mix into an ovenproof dish or casserole and top with grated cheese. This is a great way of using up those bits of cheese we always seem to have in the fridge. Any hard cheese will do but a mix of cheddar and parmesan works particularly well and adds that extra Italian flavour. Pop into a pre-heated oven on 200c (Gas Mark 6) for around 20 minutes.

 Not essential but I happened to have some stuffed olives that needed using up so I sliced a few of these on top to lift the presentation

Pasta and Bolognese (Ragu) bake

Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx








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