When you’re in a bad mood, simple pasta dishes are just perfect. For me, a good amount of carbs does wonders for my mood. I wouldn’t necessarily describe this Bratwurst Bolognese Pasta Bake as »comfort food« in the classic sense, but it comes pretty close and does the trick. Though, on the other hand, that might just be down to the generous amount of cheese gratinéed on top. Melted cheese just makes everything better as well, somehow…
Although I started cooking and baking quite early as a teenager, I often relied on convenience products back then. For example for pasta bakes. My mom sometimes didn’t feel like cooking and someone else had to step in. Me. Back then I frequently used those little seasoning packets from the supermarket. You make a sauce from that packet, pour it over dry pasta, and bake it in the oven with some cheese. Easy-peasy. But not exactly great…
In terms of flavor, those packets from Maggi or Knorr (here in Germany) never really offered much. They were okay to use back then, but a bit boring. You almost always had to doctor them up with a few extra spices. The whole dry-pasta-and-sauce thing didn’t always work perfectly, either. Depending on the type of pasta you used the amount of sauce you get from one of those packets was sometimes not enough. If the pasta has more volume, the sauce sometimes doesn’t cover it all, meaning parts of it get extremely crispy during baking. Not delicious.
That sort of thing doesn’t happen with this pasta bake. Okay, I don’t know exactly which pasta you may use – there are so many options out there. Fair point to any potential critics. However, since the pasta for this recipe is briefly pre-cooked while the sauce simmers, the chances of anything getting too crunchy in the oven are pretty slim.
Of course, a casserole prepared entirely from scratch takes a bit more effort than one made using a packet mix. There’s more chopping, sautéing, and simmering involved… But eventually, you know exactly what’s gone into your family’s dinner. I’m talking about things like palm oil and »natural flavors« those packages list. Let’s face it, »natural« can mean just about anything.
Anyway, making this bratwurst Bolognese pasta bake is relatively simple. The time spent prepping ingredients and getting everything ready is quite manageable. The sauce takes a little while to cook, but you don’t have to stand in the kitchen the whole time. The same goes for the final step in the oven. Once it’s in there, you’re free to do other things. As long as you don’t miss the timer and leave the casserole in the oven too long, everything will be fine.
About that bratwurst… I realize, of course, that a traditional Bolognese is not made with bratwurst. However, we like using it here as a substitute for ground meat because bratwurst often goes on sale at the supermarket – especially during BBQ season. The meat filling from coarse bratwurst works perfect in sauces or for meatballs and typically doesn’t even need much extra seasoning, since that’s already been taken care of. So, if you’d rather use fresh ground meat… go for it. It’s absolutely no problem. Beef, pork, or a mix, it all works.
Once again, speaking of bratwurst: since we enjoy cooking with it, we’ve developed quite a few recipes where these sausages play an important role. A great example is our Lasagna Soup with Bratwurst & Spinach. It’s a delicious weeknight dinner option that’s easy to whip up in a single large pot.
No less delicious, though perhaps a bit more controversial, is our Sausage Stroganoff with Schupfnudeln aka. Potato Noodles. We’ve mixed things up quite a bit here. Visually it doesn’t look all that much like the original. In terms of flavor, however, I’d say we haven’t strayed too far from the classic beef Stroganoff. Even without the beef, it’s still absolutely delicious!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4–5 servings)
some oil for frying
1 large onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
14 oz. (400g) coarse bratwurst
1 tsp. dried oregano*
1 tsp. paprika powder (hot)*
salt, pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) veggie broth
2 cans (28 oz./800g) chunky tomatoes*
about 14 oz. (400g) dried pasta (e.g. Fusilli/Spirelli*)
5.3 oz. (150g) sour cream
about 5.3 oz. (150g) grated cheese (e.g., Mozzarella, Gouda, or Emmental)
(4-5 Personen)
etwas Öl zum Abraten.
1 große Zwiebel, fein gehackt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
400g Bratwürste (grob)
1 TL Oregano*
1 TL Paprikapulver (scharf)*
Salz, Pfeffer
120ml Gemüsebrühe
2 Dosen (800) stückige Tomaten*
etwa 400g Nudeln (z.B. Fusilli/Spirelli*)
150g Schmand
etwa 150g geriebener Käse (z.B. Mozzarella, Gouda oder Emmentaler)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the onion and garlic, then finely chop both. Remove the sausage meat from the casings and break it up a bit.
2. Heat a little oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté the onion and garlic briefly until they take on some color. Add the sausage meat and brown it over high heat for a few minutes. Once the meat has browned nicely, add the dried oregano, paprika powder, and a little salt and pepper. Sauté everything a bit longer, then deglaze the meat with the veggie broth. Let the liquid reduce slightly, then add the chunky tomatoes. Mix everything well, reduce the heat slightly, and let the sauce simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes – stir occasionally. The liquid will reduce during this time – if the sauce thickens too much, simply add a little water.
3. While the sauce is simmering, bring a second large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta about 2 minutes shorter than the package instructions indicate. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large baking dish.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Season the finished sauce with more salt and pepper if necessary, then add it to the pasta in the baking dish and mix well. Spoon the sour cream on top of the pasta in small portions and sprinkle everything with grated cheese. Place the baking dish in the middle of the oven and bake the pasta for about 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pasta rest for a few minutes before serving.
1. Die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und dann jeweils fein hacken. Das Brät der Würste aus den Därmen herauslösen und grob zerdrücken.
2. Einen großen (gusseisernen) Topf mit etwas Öl erhitzen und dann die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch kurz anschwitzen lassen, bis beides etwas Farbe bekommen hat. Das zerdrückte Bratwurstbrät dazugeben und einige Minuten scharf anbraten. Wenn das Fleisch schön Farbe bekommen hat, Oregano, Paprikapulver, etwas Salz und Pfeffer dazugeben und kurz mit anschwitzen lassen, dann mit der Gemüsebrühe ablöschen. Die Flüssigkeit ein wenig einkochen lassen, dann die Stückigen Tomaten dazugeben. Alles gut vermengen, die Hitzezufuhr etwas reduzieren und die Soße abgedeckt für etwa 30 Minuten köcheln lassen – immer wieder mal umrühren. Die Flüssigkeit wird dabei etwas weniger werden – sollte die Soße zu stark einkochen, einfach noch etwas Wasser nachlegen.
3. Während die Bratwurst-Bolognese köchelt, einen zweiten großen Topf mit Salzwasser aufkochen lassen und die Nudeln darin etwa 2 Minuten kürzer kochen, als auf der Packung angegeben. Die Nudeln dann abgießen und in eine große Auflaufform umfüllen.
4. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Die fertige Soße ggf. noch einmal mit etwas Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken und dann einfach zu den Nudeln in die Auflaufform dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Den Schmand in kleinen Portionen auf den Nudeln verteilen und dann alles mit geriebenem Käse bestreuen. Im vorgeheizten Ofen für etwa 20-25 Minuten überbacken. Den fertigen Auflauf aus dem Ofen nehmen und vor dem Servieren noch einige Minuten stehen lassen.
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Bratwurst Bolognese Pasta Bake
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:50
- Total Time: 01:20
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
Description
This Bratwurst Bolognese Pasta Bake is a quick and easy option for a delicious weeknight dinner. The whole family loves this tasty casserole dish!
Ingredients
some oil for frying
1 large onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
14 oz. (400g) coarse bratwurst
1 tsp. dried oregano*
1 tsp. paprika powder (hot)*
salt, pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) veggie broth
2 cans (28 oz./800g) chunky tomatoes*
about 14 oz. (400g) dried pasta (e.g. Fusilli/Spirelli*)
5.3 oz. (150g) sour cream
about 5.3 oz. (150g) grated cheese (e.g., Mozzarella, Gouda, or Emmental)
Instructions
1. Peel the onion and garlic, then finely chop both. Remove the sausage meat from the casings and break it up a bit.
2. Heat a little oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté the onion and garlic briefly until they take on some color. Add the sausage meat and brown it over high heat for a few minutes. Once the meat has browned nicely, add the dried oregano, paprika powder, and a little salt and pepper. Sauté everything a bit longer, then deglaze the meat with the veggie broth. Let the liquid reduce slightly, then add the chunky tomatoes. Mix everything well, reduce the heat slightly, and let the sauce simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes – stir occasionally. The liquid will reduce during this time – if the sauce thickens too much, simply add a little water.
3. While the sauce is simmering, bring a second large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta about 2 minutes shorter than the package instructions indicate. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large baking dish.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Season the finished sauce with more salt and pepper if necessary, then add it to the pasta in the baking dish and mix well. Spoon the sour cream on top of the pasta in small portions and sprinkle everything with grated cheese. Place the baking dish in the middle of the oven and bake the pasta for about 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pasta rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Let’s cook something amazing!
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