cooking for the kids {june 24, 2022}

Back in the day when I was having babies, my mom was one of those angels on earth and fixed food for T and me when we had our first baby. She continued doing this as our family grew. So many times her timing was perfect. I would be having "one of those days" with my little people and she showed up with a meal in hand and a smile on her face.

Now I get to continue the tradition. While we were in Cleveland house and dog sitting when our little grandson was born and during the kids' hospital stay, I cooked and grocery shopped for the new parents. One request was for Mac and Sausage casserole. This recipe is an oldie but goodie. It was a staple in Mom's cooking repertoire and it is in mine. Mac and Sausage was a no complaints dish for my four kids. This was one casserole where everyone was happy with the meal. As the kids got older and were involved in after school activities and sports, it was easy to make this up and have it ready for their staggered home arrivals. This dish filled up lots of stomachs at high school team meals. Finally when the kids went to college and lived in off-campus housing, triple batches made it to Miami and Ohio Universities to feed a hungry bunch of housemates, especially at the end of the semester when money ran out. The recipe has passed along to my kids who now have their own homes.

Mom's recipe was a bit labor intensive. You had to make the sauce which also had  vermouth in it. I never liked the vermouth flavor. I streamlined the recipe by using my favorite marinara sauce. Now it's cook the pasta, brown the sausage, add the sauteed mushooms and onions, throw in the sauce and cheese and bake it. Easy peasy.

One for dinner and one for the freezer

Mac and Sausage Casserole

1 package Bob Evans sausage links

1 onion, chopped

1 carton mushrooms, chopped

1 box ziti

1 32 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the sausage links in a large pan and keep the drippings. Cut each link into 3-4 pieces. Place in large bowl.

Saute onion and mushrooms in sausage drippings. Put in the bowl with the sausage.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to sausage, mushrooms, and onions.

Pour pasta sauce over the bowl ingredients. Mix in cheese. Put in 9 x 13 casserole dish. Bake at 350° until hot and bubbly. 

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In today's NYT, the featured recipe is a Cheesy Stovetop Mac with Sausage and Kale. Goes to prove that all you need is pasta, cheese, and sausage and it's buon appetito time!

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023269-cheesy-stovetop-mac-with-sausage-and-kale?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20220624&instance_id=64883&nl=the-morning&regi_id=72345702&segment_id=96646&te=1&user_id=3d1c27e76de0cefc8b6d3817f87d555e