We do our weekly shop on a Saturday morning so by Friday, the fridge is looking pretty empty. That's not usually a problem because Juliette and Pierre eat at the school canteen, Madhouse Daddy eats with some friends in a little restaurant in town, I eat at my school canteen or with Madhouse Daddy and Sophie is happy with a ready meal for one or whatever leftovers she can scavenge in the fridge ! Today, however, Pierre was poorly so I took a sick child day off and needed to rustle up something for everyone to eat at lunchtime from the (minimal) contents of the fridge and cupboards. I made a poor man's version of a pasta bake, using up odds and ends, which I thought was quite bland but the kids loved it.
Old Mother Hubbard's Pasta Bake
ingredients :
a few handfuls of macaroni
knob of butter
1 leek
2 mushrooms
can of sweetcorn
a pack of hot dog sausages
1 pack cheese sauce mix
1/2 pint milk
end of a bag of grated cheese
crème fraîche/milk
Gently fry the leek and mushrooms in a little butter. Toss in the chopped hot dog sausages for the last couple of minutes. Put the dry pasta in an ovenproof dish and toss in the mushrooms/leeks/hot dog sausages and the tin of sweetcorn.
I usually tend to make cheese sauce from scratch but there was hardly any cheese left so I used a packet mix that was in the cupboard. Follow the instructions then pour the cheese sauce into the dish with the pasta and stir. Top up with crème fraîche and/or milk until the pasta is nicely covered.
Put in the oven at 180° while you go on the school run - probably about 40 minutes. Scatter some grated cheese over the top 15 minutes before the end.
Linking up to this month's #KitchenClearout linky
Good idea for using whatever is left in the fridge in a pasta bake. Poor man's version is not poor at all. ;)
ReplyDeleteSometimes the poor man's versions come out better than when you by in a load of ingredients specially !
DeleteThat looks nice :)
ReplyDelete