The following recipes are quick versions of two old favourites: lasagne and macaroni cheese, cooked completely on the stovetop instead of in the oven. My family love both lasagne and mac and cheese, so being able to prepare these dishes in a fraction of the time that it would take in the oven is wonderful when cooking away from home.
STOVETOP LASAGNE
This lasagne will cook in less than half the time of the oven version. I use fusilli pasta in the lasagne; however, you could use farfalle or even lasagne noodles broken up into one centimetre pieces.
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20-25 minutes
SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500g beef mince
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 250g dried farfalle pasta
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- A good pinch of dried chilli flakes
- Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
- 200g mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 180g ricotta cheese
METHOD
Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over a medium heat. Add the beef mince to the pan and cook for about five minutes to brown the meat. Break the mince up with either a fork or spoon as you cook to ensure that there are no lumps. Stir in the onion and garlic and continue to cook for a further couple of minutes.
Add the tomatoes, pasta, stock, oregano, chilli flakes, salt and pepper to the pan, stir well and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium low, cover the frypan and continue to simmer until the pasta is soft. This should take about 10 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat.
Preheat your grill to medium high. Stir half of the mozzarella cheese as well as the parmesan cheese through the pasta mixture. Now dollop spoonfuls of the ricotta over the top of the pasta and then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Pop the frypan under the grill for a few minutes to melt and brown the cheese. The stovetop lasagne is now ready to serve. You could serve the lasagne with a fresh and crunchy green salad.
HANDY HINTS
- You will need a griller on your stove to melt and brown the cheeses on top of the lasagne.
- You could use reduced fat cheeses and lean beef mince to reduce the kilojoules in the stovetop lasagne.
Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
STOVETOP MACARONI AND CHEESE
‘Mac and cheese’ has always been a comfort food to me, starting way back in ‘domestic science’ classes in grade eight through to today, where my grandchildren also love it. Actually, they all love cheese and they also adore pasta, so this recipe is a favourite.
PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20-25 minutes
SERVES: 6 (leftover ‘mac and cheese’ is yum!)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 rashers bacon, chopped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 cups milk, slightly warmed
- 1/4 tabasco sauce
- 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups grated cheese (of your choice)
- 1-2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- 3 cups uncooked macaroni
METHOD
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil, add the macaroni and cook according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well and place to one side.
In a large frypan, cook the bacon over a medium heat until nearly crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towel. Whisk the flour into the bacon drippings left in the frypan and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes. Then whisk in the milk, mustard, tabasco and worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until thickened to a thick sauce-like consistency. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese, bacon, chives and cooked macaroni.
Your mac and cheese is now ready to serve.
HANDY HINTS
- You could use a combination of whatever cheeses you prefer in your mac and cheese. I usually use a combo of a sharp mature cheese and a milder flavoured one.
- If you have leftover mac and cheese try using it as a topping over either savoury mince or beef casserole or as a side dish to either sausages or ribs
