Take-out Tuesday, Turn Leftovers into a Magical Pasta Meal

the Painted Apron

6 years ago

My son is always cooking wonderful meals for me

but Sunday I had a chance to cook something special for him!

He spent the weekend on the coast securing our beach house

for Hurricanes Marco and Laura

I wanted to have a good dinner ready for him

when he returned, so he could relax for a change

We have had the beach house for 35 years,

and have experienced many hurricanes

You prepare as best you can, evacuate and pray…

A good meal helps too…

There were quite a few vegetables in our fridge that were begging to be used, and my go to meal for using a little of this and a little of that is a casserole, and usually there’s pasta involved

Back in March I made Asparagus and Ravioli Bake

It was so good I decided to make it again,

and amp it up a few notches

with the addition of more vegetables

I found this fresh ravioli filled with asparagus and Gruyere

and it quickly hopped in my grocery cart…

It was just what I needed to make a magical meal!

Fresh pasta only needs a quick boil in salted water and it’s ready

Psst, save some of that water,

it might be needed later

I roasted bacon on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking pan so I could use the bacon fat to roast the Brussels sprouts

I put the corn on the pan too and into the 400 degree oven

it went for 30 minutes

I set the corn aside to cool

and the sprouts drained on a paper towel

While the sprouts and corn were roasting

I sautéed the onions and mushrooms

I also had a little tortellini with pesto sauce leftover

and decided to use it also

I added the ravioli to the dish

and topped it with asparagus, mushrooms and onions

The corn was cut from the cobs,

the bacon torn into pieces,

the Brussels sprouts and shaved Parmesan

joined the other ingredients

With only 1/2 jar, {about 1 cup} of Alfredo sauce

leftover from last week’s pizzas,

I added a little reserved pasta water,

about 1/4 cup, to thin it out

The thinned sauce poured down into all the nooks and crannies

and I gave it all a gentle toss to combine and cover all the ingredients

A little more cheese on top…

At this point the dish can be covered and refrigerated,

for baking later if desired

Bake pasta covered for 30 minutes,

uncover and continue baking for 10-15 minutes more

or until hot and melty

Dig in!

Magical Pasta Meal

2 types of pasta, 2 sauces, bacon and a rainbow of vegetables combine to make a magical meal!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 40

Servings 4

Ingredients

9 oz fresh ravioli, about 2 cups
2 cups fresh tortellini
1/2 cup pesto sauce
1 cup Alfredo sauce
8 slices thick cut bacon
20 stalks asparagus
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
olive oil
4 oz sliced white or Baby Bella mushrooms
2 ears corn
10 large Brussels sprouts
2 oz shaved Parmesan cheese
fresh basil for garnish optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lay evenly spaced bacon strips on it
Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes, then open oven to check bacon
Remove any strips that are done and return pan to oven to finish cooking bacon, checking every 2-3 minutes
Drain bacon on paper towels
Trim sprouts and cut in half, and place on the baking pan in the bacon grease
Toss the Brussels sprouts around to coat and season with salt and pepper
Place corn, still in husk, on baking sheet with Brussels sprouts
Place vegetables in 400 degree oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, until sprouts begin to char
While sprouts are cooking, saute the onion in butter and olive oil over medium heat until golden
Push onions to the edge of skillet and add mushrooms
Increase heat to medium high and quickly saute mushrooms until golden
Drain sprouts on paper towels and set corn aside to cool
Cook pasta in boiling water until just al dente, about 3 minutes
Drain pasta, reserving a little pasta water
Put drained pasta into a greased baking dish, pour pesto sauce over all and toss to coat
Break off tough ends of asparagus, rinse and wrap in a kitchen towel
Microwave asparagus for 1 minute, cool and cut into 1 inch pieces
Add mushrooms, onions, asparagus to pasta in dish
Cut corn from cobs, break bacon into 1 inch pieces, and add to pasta dish
Add sprouts and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese to dish and gently toss
Mix alfredo sauce with about 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, stirring until smooth
Pour sauce over vegetables and pasta and gently fold ingredients into the sauce
Top casserole with remaining Parmesan, cover, and refrigerate
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes until bubbling
Garnish with basil leaves and additional Parmesan if desired