Do you know what the hardest part of creating a new recipe is? Naming it. It is also hard to create it and make sure it tastes good, but aside from that – when you perfect the recipe and it is ready to share, how do you know what to call it?
On Thursday, it was operation improvise because we ran out of food. So I did what anyone would – opened up the cabinets to see what I had left from earlier food preps. Here is what I came up with:
- 1LB Italian Sausage
- 6 gluten free lasagna sheets
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- ¼ package of mozzarella
So I mixed and mashed, added seasonings until I thought it smelled good and popped the casserole dish in the oven. The dish turned out great and left my husband begging for me to make it again today. It is basically a variation on the enchilada dish I posted last week. Definitely worth trying. So now that I have a new dish, what do I name it? For now I guess we will stick to:
“Peggy’s Spaghetti Casserole”
What you need
3 tbps olive oil
1 LB Italian Sausage
1LB Ground Beef
1 package gluten free lasagna sheets
2 med. cans diced tomatoes or 1 large can
2 cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cups cheese of choice, I mixed mozzarella and cheddar (don’t tell the paleo police)
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp basil
½ tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp salt and pepper
¼ tsp ground mustard
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
What to do
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Brown ground beef and Italian sausage in a large pan over high heat with a few tbps olive oil. Once cooked through, set aside.
- Mix diced tomatoes, garlic, sweet onion, tomato paste and all seasonings to a bowl. Mix well, then mix in your cooked meat.
- Make your lasagna casserole! Pour some tomato sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish then add one layer of lasagna sheets. Top with meat, sauce and cheese. Add another layer of lasagna sheets and repeat. Leave the top layer for sauce and cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
- Cool, cut, and enjoy!
Note about the seasonings* I used the smell test. I just added things until I thought it smelled right so I am using my best estimate of the measurements but I suggest doing the same. You will know – if it smells too tomatoey, you need to add something – if it smells just right, it is just right!
