Eds' Winter Pasta Bake - 1.5 - $

This recipe and these pics have come from one of our readers - applause for Eds please everyone!

Thanks for sending this in and big WELL DONE YOU for being man enough to send in a recipe - c'mon the rest of you fellas out there, show us what you've got in the kitchen.

Here's one for a Friday night in. You have friends coming over but can't go anywhere due to appalling wet and windy weather. You want comfort food, a lot of it. The kind that you can see stretching your belt as you eat it, the kind that means going back for seconds is mandatory and non-negotiable. Wash this down with either a lighter, easy drinking red (Pinot Noir) or a few beers (think Coopers Sparkling).
I pilfered the bare bones of this recipe from some vegetarian German backpackers who stayed for two weeks and cooked something similar to this nearly every night for us. Serves 4 people, up to 6 if stretched out, but no one will go hungry.



Ingredients:

400 grams penne pasta
2 chorizo sausages, sliced
2 tins diced tomatoes
1 tin broad or butter beans, drained
1 well diced onion
250 grams Fetta
250 grams tasty/cheddar cheese
50 grams Parmesan
Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180-200c.

2. Boil pasta for 10 minutes (it will cook more while it is in the oven so no need to go al dente here). While this is going, cook sausages in a little olive oil and remove from pan once browned. Don't throw out the oil in pan.

3. Brown the onions and add pepper to taste, then add the drained beans. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the sausages, cook 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cook until it starts to simmer.

4. Cut Fetta in to large rough chunks, and add to mix. Stir in lightly. Do not break the Fetta up too much; keep it chunky. Turn off heat.



5. Drain pasta well, add to large baking dish, pour in 200 grams of the tasty/cheddar cheese. Add the rest of the ingredients from the pan to baking dish and mix it all up. Evenly spread the rest of the cheese and Parmesan on top. Cover with foil.

6. Cook at 180-200c (depending on oven) for about 45-60 minutes (not an exact science). Stand with foil off for a few minutes before serving. The cheese should be a little tough on the top* and the protruding pasta should be a little crusty.

When you get that first partially melted chunk of Fetta on your fork, you will know the reason why it says "keep it chunky"!

Enjoy!

*What's For Tea? reckons foil off for the last 10minutes to brown off the cheese - just a thought.