Baked Pasta -Samuel

So I haven't posted in a really long time. Why? I haven't gone grocery shopping in forever and I've just been surviving on potatoes and onions, along with anything that I managed to freeze. A sad, sad life, you must reckon.

Well NO, jokes on you. Here's a recipe with only the basics on hand, along with ingredients that easily last quite a while. You'll also see how easy this recipe is and learn a few things about sauces.

Baked pasta. It's the ultimate comfort food and an excellent addition to any party. The tomatoes in this dish make it just acidic enough for you to keep eating it without feeling like it's too rich or heavy. And it's one of the cheapest and easiest dishes out there to serve large amounts of people.

Baked Pasta
# of servings: 12
Cost: ~$8
Time spent: 1 hour
Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 6-8 strips of bacon
• 1 bulb garlic (all the cloves)
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 lb (1 box) rotini pasta
• 1/2 cup mozzarella
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh marjoram
• 1/2 cup parmesan 
• 1/4 cup chili flakes (optional)

Directions:
1. (Tomato sauce) Heat the pot on medium-high heat. Mince the onion and slice the bacon about a half inch wide. Add the bacon to the pot without oil and after one minute, add the onion. Grind in pepper and cook until onion is translucent. then add the two cans of tomato and half cup of red wine. Simmer and reduce for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to as high as it goes (or broil, if you can).
(Cheddar roux) Heat another pot with medium-low heat and add the butter. After fully melted, add the flour and quickly whisk all of it until it's a paste. Cook off to neutralize floury flavor but keep whisking or it'll produce lumps. Add 1/4 cup of milk first and whisk to incorporate. Repeat steps until all of milk is used.

3. After all the milk is used, add in the nutmeg and pepper, and then add the cheddar and whisk in. You should have a sauce that just sticks to your whisk. Don't forget that when it cools, it gets even thicker.

At this point, boil a pot of hot water and cook pasta to al dente. Wash it in cold water after because you do not want the pasta to overcook when it goes in the oven.

4. Get Japanese panko bread crumbs and herbs in a food processor and process. I chose thyme and marjoram because I didn't want the food crumbs to turn green, but if you want your bread crust green, opt for parsley and rosemary.

5. Mix together your pasta and tomato sauce and cheddar sauce in a rather large container. Add chili flakes if you want it spicy.

6. Layer pasta with mozzarella, then the bread crumbs, and then another layer of Parmesan on top. It should look something like this:

7. Cook for about 20 minutes or until nice and brown. Let cool slightly and enjoy!