Nice big tender Italian Meatballs nestled into bed of spaghetti wrapped in a blanket of sauce & cheese.

It’s amazing how one casserole dish can bring a family together.

Do you and your family sit down to dinner on a regular basis? Or are you like us and you treasure those times when you’ve got the whole gang gathered around the table?

I sure do love it!

Today I’m delivering a Spaghetti & Meatball Casserole of Love! One of my dear friends is in the hospital and the best thing I can do for her right now is to help nourish her family. I happen to know spaghetti & meatballs are a favorite in their house :)

The Preparation

This dish begins with the meatballs. I use our nice big Italian Meatballs, you can find the recipe here.

You’ll want to double this recipe, using 2 pounds of ground meat. This will make a beautiful batch of 16-20 meatballs.

Plenty to feed a family of eight!

When I’m delivering a meal to a friend or family at a time of need I try to make it as easy as possible to heat & serve or freeze.

Foil pans are the unsung heroes here. Simply layer the al dente spaghetti, top with cooked meatballs and marinara sauce, add a nice layer of cheese and bake.

For the spaghetti, I actually love to use bucatini fusilli. It’s curly and fun and holds on to the delicious marinara sauce nicely too.

I’ve shared before that there are a few pantry staples that I always keep on hand. The pasta I mentioned above, our favorite Rao’s Sauce, and gluten free panko breadcrumbs. All of which are incorporated into this meal.

I delivered Spaghetti & Meatball Casserole of Love!, a tossed salad and Peanut Butter Cup Brownies to this special family. Love and healing energy included.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Spaghetti & Meatball Casserole of Love!

Nice big tender Italian Meatballs nestled into bed of spaghetti wrapped in a blanket of sauce & cheese.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 2 batches Italian Meatballs see recipe link in post

For the Spaghetti Casserole

• 1 pound spaghetti or favorite pasta cooked al dente
• 24 ounces marinara sauce
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Brown the meatballs using the Oven Method. Then transfer to sauce and finish cooking in the oven.

For the Spaghetti Casserole

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and toss with marinara sauce. Layer in casserole dish with meatballs. Top with shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

The post Spaghetti & Meatball Casserole of Love! appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The original viral recipe from @liemessa got over a million views on TikTok! And I’m pretty certain every other food blogger has since posted some version of this feta dish.

And for good reason. It’s absolutely delicious!!!

So as my 21 year-old bonus son goes off to his senior year of college, I was presented with a challenge or a theme if you will (by he and a buddy – who are both quite capable in the kitchen).

Start a recipe series called College Cooking and give us a new recipe each week that we can prepare in our off-campus housing kitchens!

Be sure the ingredients are readily available (and affordable) but help us break free from blue box mac ‘n cheese, frozen pizzas, and fast-food meals.

It’s fairly well documented here on the pages of Lemony Thyme that I love a good theme!

Challenge accepted!

Weekly College Cooking Series

• Recipes using readily available affordable ingredients.
• The recipes will include substitutions for items that may be hard to locate or intimidating.
• Will include how-to techniques for new cooks.
• We’ll stick to basic kitchen equipment, down the road a slow cooker will definitely be involved especially as we head into winter. Click this link to view my top “Essentials, Tips & Ingredients Lists.”
• Each recipe will be full of elevated flavor! Here we go!

I love this challenge already!

Easy Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli

This recipe is going to take the key components of the original feta and cherry tomatoes version and turn it into a satisfying easy meal. We’ll add broccoli and chicken and toss it all with cooked pasta at the end!

Check out my 30-second Recipe Video HERE!

Equipment Required

• Cutting board and sharp knife
• 9″ x 13″ Baking Dish
• Oven
• Pasta Pot & Strainer
• Spoon for stirring and serving

Recipe Note: yes, you can substitute a different size baking dish. The key is to find something similar to the same square inches. The dish below is 10″x12″ for example. Square, oval or round works for this recipe.

Ingredients Required for 4 servings

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• a head of fresh broccoli
• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 8-ounce block feta cheese (packed in water or brine is best)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound dried pasta (I used Cavatappi)
• salt & black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves (about 3 Tablespoons chopped)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse cherry tomatoes and place in baking dish.
• Cut broccoli into florets (bite-sized pieces), discarding tough stems. Add to baking dish.
• Cut chicken into 1″-1~1/2″ cubes. Add to baking dish and mix with tomatoes and broccoli.
• Add block of feta cheese to center.
• Drizzle with olive oil
• Sprinkle with salt & black pepper
• Bake for 35 minutes

While feta mixture is baking…

• Prepare pasta according to package instructions. You can use any dried pasta in this recipe: cavatappi, elbow macaroni, penne, spaghetti.
• Chop garlic and fresh basil (see Recipe Note below)
• Call mom or dad :)

Recipe Note: while fresh garlic and basil will elevate the flavors in this dish, you can substitute jarred minced garlic and dried basil.

For how to break down a head of garlic or chop fresh basil, see our quick How-To Videos linked in Instagram Story Highlights under College Cooking.

• 1 clove of fresh garlic minced = 1/2 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil = 1 teaspoon dried basil

Preparation Continued

• When the feta mixture comes out of the oven, sprinkle with minced garlic and chopped basil.
• There will be liquid in the baking dish which will mix with the soft feta to create a delicious sauce.
• Stir well.

• Stir in your drained cooked pasta and serve!

Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli is meant to be a complete meal, but a side salad with Greek Red Wine & Feta Vinaigrette would go nicely with this dish!

If you make this recipe, please drop me a comment below! I’d love to see pictures too! Tag me on social media @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook! Use the hashtag #collegecooking.

All my best,
xo Libby

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Easy Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli

This recipe is going to take the key components of the original feta and cherry tomatoes version and turn it into a satisfying easy meal. We'll add broccoli and chicken and toss it all with cooked pasta at the end!

Course Entree

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 1 head broccoli cut into florets
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" – 1~1/2" cubes
• 1 8 ounce block of feta cheese preferably packed in water or brine
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound dried pasta of choice I used cavatappi
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 handful fresh basil chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse cherry tomatoes and place in 9"x13" baking dish. Cut broccoli into florets (bite-sized pieces), discarding tough stems. Add to baking dish. Cut chicken into 1"-1~1/2" cubes. Add to baking dish and mix with tomatoes and broccoli. Add block of feta cheese to center. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & black pepper. Bake for 35 minutes.
• While the feta mixture bakes, prepare pasta according to package instructions. Chop garlic and fresh basil (see Recipe Note below).
• When the feta mixture comes out of the oven, sprinkle with minced garlic and chopped basil. There will be liquid in the baking dish which will mix with the feta to create a delicious sauce. Stir well and serve.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Liemessa.

Recipe Note: while fresh garlic and basil will elevate the flavors in this dish, you can substitute jarred minced garlic and dried basil.

• 1 clove of fresh garlic minced = 1/2 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil = 1 teaspoon dried basil

 

The post Easy Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

My husband’s ancestors also have roots in Catania! Lucky for me it’s where we visited on a dream vacation a few years back.

Catania, Sicily

One day I’ll share more about our trip to Italy, one of the most marvelous adventures I’ve had the privilege to experience!

Nick’s grandfather immigrated from Sicily to Boston in the 1930s. We researched and discovered that the Zappalà family name is still prevalent in the Catania region of Sicily. We were fortunate to be invited to tour the Zappalà cheese factory outside of Catania and sample their outstanding products :) <3

Pasta alla Norma

Eggplant is the star ingredient in Pasta alla Norma, which can be pan fried or oven roasted – which is what I prefer. The oven method was much easier than pan frying and yielded a nice golden brown batch of eggplant.

For the sauce I make a simple Pasta Sauce that begins with sautéed onion and garlic. Then I give a can of San Marzano tomatoes a whirl in the blender and add those to the pan, along with dried seasonings (basil, oregano, parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes). Season with salt & pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.

Recipe note: Do you dry your own herbs? Oregano is one of my favorites to dry. Check out this easy method.

The Sauce

The result is a nice rich pasta sauce that comes together in under 30 minutes but taste like it’s been on the stove all day!

To Build the Dish

To build the Pasta alla Norma, the roasted eggplant is added to the pasta sauce. Then the al dente pasta is folded in along with 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, coating each piece in the silky sauce.

A generous sprinkling of pecorino Romano (or classically Ricotta Salata) and a handful of fresh basil finishes the dish.

Pasta alla Norma deserves its spot among the top classic Italian pasta dishes. The simplest of ingredients quickly come together to deliver a hearty vegetarian dish that even your meat lovers will savor.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma deserves its spot among the top classic Italian pasta dishes. The simplest of ingredients quickly come together to deliver a hearty vegetarian dish that even your meat lovers will savor.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the eggplant

• 2 pounds eggplant (about 2 medium) cut into 1" cubes
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the sauce

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes blended
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

To serve

• 1 pound pasta (like rigatoni, penne or rotini) cooked al dente
• 1/4 cup pasta cooking water
• fresh basil leaves
• pecorino Romano (classically Ricotta Salata) grated

Instructions

For the eggplant

• Preheat oven to 450° F. Cut eggplant into 1" cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and spread in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheet. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, then flip and roast another 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the sauce

• While eggplant is roasting, heat olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and saute another minute. Pour in blended tomatoes, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Fold in roasted eggplant.

To serve

• While sauce is cooking, boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Add pasta and 1/4 cup cooking liquid to pasta sauce. Toss pasta well to coat.
• Divide eggplant pasta into bowls. Sprinkle with fresh basil and grated pecorino Romano cheese. Buon appetito!

The post Pasta alla Norma {Eggplant Pasta} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Besides the crisp fresh veggies, we found this lovely tri-colored pasta at our local Farmers Market and wanted to turn it into a nice summer salad.

Shhhhh….it’s also gluten free, no one would ever know.

When it comes to pasta salad I think of backyard BBQ’s and potluck suppers and big bowls of fresh bright flavors. This is the perfect warm weather salad served cold or room-temperature and travels nicely as well.

The recipe inspiration for our Thai Pasta Salad with Peanut Dressing came during a Summer Roll “Wrapping” Party. We’ll call it a party, there were three of us diving into the art of rice paper and thinly sliced veggies and the most glorious peanut dipping sauce. All of which would pair so nicely with this gorgeous tri-colored veggie pasta.

I hope you give this Thai Pasta Salad a try before summer thyme slips away. If you do, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. And I’d love to see your Instagram pics – feel free to tag me @lemonythyme.

All my best, Libby

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Thai Pasta Salad {with Peanut Dressing}

You'll love this Pasta Salad for it's delicious peanut sauce dressing and crispy veggies. Add a little sriracha if spicy is your thing!

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the Pasta Salad

• 1 pound dried pasta like rotini or cavatappi
• 1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
• sriracha hot sauce to taste

For the Peanut Dressing

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tbl. sesame oil
• 2 Tbl. soy sauce or coconut aminos for GF Version
• 1 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbl. honey or maple syrup
• 1 Tbl. sriracha or more for spicy version

Instructions

For the Pasta Salad

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool to room temperature. Toss with a little sesame oil to keep from sticking.
• Toss cooked pasta with remaining pasta salad ingredients (reserve some chopped cilantro and peanuts for garnish). Toss with prepared peanut sauce.

For the Peanut Dressing

• Whisk together all ingredients. Pour over pasta salad and toss to coat completely. Garnish with chipped cilantro and peanuts.

The post Thai Pasta Salad {with Peanut Dressing} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This Cheesy Bowtie & Butternut Squash Bake was born out of ingredients already on hand.  It’s loaded with veggies and I promise you even the youngest members of the family will love this dish.  Butternut squash, fresh mushrooms & spinach, an open box of pasta and the end of a hunk of cheddar cheese came together in a snap.

This recipe is completely adaptable to what’s already in your fridge and pantry.  Broccoli and/or cauliflower would be delicious additions, as would carrots or green peas.  Sweet potato in place of butternut squash is an easy substitution.  I had an open box of bowtie pasta, but penne or rotini work too.  You get the idea. I crumbled a little bacon on top of our Cheesy Bowtie & Butternut Squash Bake because in our house everything is better with bacon.  Leave the bacon off and you’ve got a fantastic Meatless Monday Meal.

adapted from BHG.com

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Cheesy Bowtie & Butternut Squash Bake

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 3 ounces dry bowtie pasta or favorite
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 8-10 button mushrooms sliced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese I used cheddar and 2 Tbl. goat cheese
• 1 handful of fresh spinach or kale
• Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 slices bacon cooked and crumbled (omit for vegetarian version)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain and reserve.
• Peel and cubed butternut squash. Place in a microwave safe bowl covered with water. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Use fork to test for doneness. If necessary, microwave an additional 3-5 minutes until just fork tender. Drain and reserve.
• If topping with crumbled bacon, cook bacon until browned and crispy. Reserve. (omit for vegetarian version).
• Melt butter in the skillet and add sliced mushrooms and thyme. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Dust mushrooms with flour, stir until well coated. Whisk in milk and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and add in cheeses, stirring until melted. Season to taste.
• Stir in fresh spinach, butternut squash, and pasta. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with crumbled crispy bacon (optional). Bake for 20 minutes.

Notes

This recipe makes two generous servings but can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a larger crowd.

The post Cheesy Bowtie & Butternut Squash Bake appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Our Jalapeno Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is a spin off of a very popular and delicious recipe.  I enjoyed it at a luncheon recently and it’s been on my mind ever since.  According to an internet search, it seems to have been recreated at least a bazillion times.  Here’s our version, based on ingredients already in our fridge and pantry.

If you’ve been following Lemony Thyme for a bit you may know that we cook a whole chicken each week.  We enjoy a wonderful roast chicken dinner on day one, then use the leftover chicken to make soups, salads, casseroles and of course Homemade Chicken Broth.  This week’s whole roasted chicken was prepared on our new smoker grill.  It was fantastic.  Just look at that beautiful bird.

We had so much meat leftover and an insatiable urge for comfort food that in about 30 minutes we were chin deep in Jalapeno Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole without a care in the world.

Most of what makes comfort food so comfortable is not having to rush to the grocery store for ingredients, not to mention the money you save every day you can avoid walking through those doors.  I have so many friends tell me that their family won’t eat leftovers.  My answer, stop feeding them leftovers.  Turn last night’s dinner into something new and fresh.

We had leftover chicken and a little cooked pasta on hand.  From there we worked with available ingredients.  If you don’t keep cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup on hand, Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup is really easy to make from scratch with simple ingredients.  We’ve got two very productive jalapeno plants growing in one of our porch pots, so we added in a bit of fresh diced jalapeno to our sliced mushrooms.  You could substitute or add sautéed onions, carrots, celery…all would be great additions.  We used sour cream, but half as much cream cheese would work as well.  The key is to work with what you’ve got on hand.

Bottom line, savory ingredients combined with a creamy sauce, topped with buttery cracker crumbs is pretty hard not to love.  Jalapeno Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole may not be made the same way twice, but it will always be delicious.

And comfortable.

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Jalapeno Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chicken cubed
• 2 cups cooked pasta we used corkscrews
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1-2 jalapenos fine diced
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 Tbl. poppy seeds
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup or see link in post for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Tbl. butter melted
• 2 cups crushed buttery crackers

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole with olive oil.
• In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms and jalapeno in 1 Tbl. butter and thyme until tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add in almonds, poppy seeds, sour cream, and chicken soup. Stir well to combine, then fold in cooked chicken and pasta. Pour into baking dish.
• In a small bowl combined cracker crumbs with 1 Tbl. melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over chicken mixture. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until bubbly.

The post Jalapeno Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I recently got on a kick of looking for ways to ‘Deconstruct’ recipes.  It seemed like a cool way to present a dish and the couple I have posted were quite fun.  Next up on my ‘to-be-deconstructed’ list was Tuna Noodle Casserole.  A comfort food dish that many of us grew up on (whether you liked it or not).

My thought was to build the layers of flavor thoughtfully using top quality ingredients to deliver a bowl of comfort.  I think I’ve succeeded with this one.

During today’s Sunday’s with Shelby excursion we revisited the Buford Highway Farmers Market.  I was trying to describe this place to a friend.  He couldn’t grasp that the seafood counter was bigger than the one at our Whole Foods.  I said “envision the IKEA of supermarkets….that’s what this place is like.”

Here’s just one side of the 10 sided seafood counter that wraps nearly the entire back of the store.  It’s amazing.  The fish mongers are on ready to take your order.  Today it was a beautiful piece of Ahi Tuna.

For the other components of this dish, I used some beautiful Tagliatelle pasta (long medium width noodles), a creamy sauce infused with lemony thyme and Morel mushrooms, and a handful of green peas.  Top those layers of goodness with seared Ahi Tuna and you’ve got a fabulous recreation of a classic comfort food dish.

Recipe note:  Because I am looking for ways to ‘lighten up’ our dishes, I made our cream sauce from fat free half-and-half and Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb wedges.  To give it a nice burst of flavor I added two sprigs of fresh lemony thyme and a handful of dried Morel mushrooms (that I scored at our local farmers market last week).  The mushrooms are certainly optional, as is choosing to ‘lighten’ it up.  This dish would also be delicious with Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup in place of the cream sauce.  Bottom line, make this Ahi Tuna Noodle Casserole your own and prepare to get comfortable and happy.

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Ahi Tuna Noodle Casserole {with a Lemony Thyme Sauce}

The fresh lemony thyme sprigs were such a lovely add to this sauce. Adding a bright, slight lemon flavor.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the pasta…

• 4 oz. Tagliatelle pasta or your favorite noodle
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas thawed

For the cream sauce…

• 3/4 cup fat free half-and-half or cream
• 1 Tbl. flour
• 3 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Wedges
• 2 sprigs fresh lemony thyme
• 1/8 cup dried Morel mushrooms optional
• salt & pepper to taste
• pinch of cayenne pepper

For the tuna…

• 1 8 oz. Ahi Tuna steak cut in half
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 1 Tbl. sunflower oil or other high heat oil

Instructions

For the pasta…

• Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain and toss with olive oil and green peas. Reserve.

For the cream sauce…

• Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan heat half-and-half over medium heat until just about to boil, then dust with flour while whisking to blend. Reduce heat to low, add cheese wedges and whisk until cheese has melted. Add lemony thyme sprigs and dried mushrooms and allow to cook over low, stirring occassionally. Sauce should be fairly thick.

For the tuna…

• Combine the cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Then pour onto a plate. Dip the edges of the tuna steaks in the spice mixture, gently pressing so it adheres.
• In a medium skillet, heat sunflower oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering in the pan. Using tongs sear all edges of both steaks, about 45 seconds per side. Once edges are golden browned, sear steaks for 1 minute per side for rare, adjust cooking time according to your preferred level of doneness. Allow to stand for 2-3 minutes; thinly slice accross the grain.

To serve…

• Divide pasta and peas between two bowls. Remove thyme sprigs from sauce and spoon over pasta. Top with thinly sliced ahi tuna pieces.

The post Ahi Tuna Noodle Casserole {with a Lemony Thyme Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’ve recently read some articles on a growing movement to bring Home Ec back to schools.  Healthy eating and knowledge of nutrition being the core reason, self-sufficiency and cost savings also getting a mention.  And while I wholeheartedly agree, I propose another consideration for teaching teens and young adults the ‘basic’ life skills taught in a Home Economics classroom.  Creativity.

Cooking, like sewing or painting or wood-working, is a way to express yourself artistically…and a wonderful stress-reliever.  So don’t get me wrong, I do believe ‘home’ is the best place to learn these skills, but it was in my 8th grade Home Ec class where I learned to make a Basic White Sauce.  A skill just as valuable in my life today as being able to manipulate an Excel spreadsheet.

Let it be in honor of creativity that we build this Sage Brown Butter & Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese.  It’s our LOVE of sage brown butter AND bacon that are the inspiration for this recipe. A basic white sauce, which is the start of a basic cheese sauce, begins with melted butter.  So we replaced plain butter with sage brown butter, reserving the crispy sage leaves for our incredible crumb topping.  We built our sauce from there adding a beautiful mound of cheese….lots of cheese (some of every kind in our fridge) and some cayenne and fresh black pepper for a little kick!

We chose Pipe Rigate {rih-gah-tay} pasta for two reasons, it has big wells to hold the cheesy sauce and it was the only one at Whole Foods that we had never heard of.  We cooked it al dente, according to the package instructions, and it was the perfect choice…giving us little pockets of cheesy goodness with every bite.

For the crispy crumb topping, brown some bacon, with sliced shallot, and minced jalapeno then remove to drain on paper towels.  Add panko bread crumbs back into the bacon pan and toast over low heat until they are golden brown.  Combine the crispy sage leaves from the brown butter and the bacon mixture with the toasted crumbs and reserve for the topping.

To assemble, mix the cooked pasta with a good amount of cheese sauce and pour into buttered small cast-iron skillets.  Sprinkle a good handful of crumbs over the top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  This dish is rich and glorious and for us it was dinner with leftovers.  I hope you’ll get creative in the kitchen and add your favorite flavors and ingredients to your comfort food dishes.

The one cooking skill Shelby mastered before she headed off to school was how to make a roux and turn it into a white sauce and then into a cheese sauce.  You should see her Mac ‘n Cheese!

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Mac ‘n Cheese {Sage Brown Butter & Bacon}

Let it be in honor of creativity that we build this Sage Brown Butter & Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese. It’s our LOVE of sage brown butter AND bacon that are the inspiration for this recipe.

Course Side Dish

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

Pasta…

• 4 cups dry pasta such as Pipe Rigate

For topping…

• 4-5 slices bacon
• 3 small shallot thin sliced
• 1 jalapeno minced
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

For cheese sauce…

• 4 Tbl. butter
• 8 sage leaves
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 lb. assorted cheese such as gruyere, cheddar, colby, Parmesan, queso fresco
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper optional
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pasta…

• Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and reserve.

For topping…

• In a non-stick skillet, saute bacon, shallot, and jalapeno until bacon is crispy brown. Remove mixture from pan and drain on paper towel.
• Add panko crumbs to pan and toast over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Combine bacon mixture with crumbs and reserve.

For cheese sauce…

• In a heavy bottom sauce pan, melt butter over med-low heat, add in sage leaves; cook, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown. Remove from heat. Remove sage leaves only and add them to the topping mixture.
• Return brown butter to heat and add flour. With a wire whisk stir mixture constantly until bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, stirring continuously until butter flour and milk are well combined. Allow sauce to come to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low and gradually add shredded cheese, stirring after each addition until cheese is melted and incorporated into sauce. Remove from heat.
• Stir in cayenne and black pepper. Adjust according to taste. The sauce should not need salt, but add if necessary.

To assemble…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta with a generous amount of sauce. Should be well coated and very cheesy. Pour mixture into buttered casserole or cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with topping mixture.
• Bake for 30 minutes until top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly around edges.

The post Mac ‘n Cheese {Sage Brown Butter & Bacon} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.