The ABSOLUTE, BEST EVER ~ ~ Creamy Baked Beefaroni

[dianncy64]

This recipe comes from a VERY DEAR FRIEND NAME: Olga_D_Ont ~ she posted this recipe on FinerKitchens.com ~ She is wonderful and she posts some of the best recipes.

These are my changes to her recipe:

I used velveeta cheese (I do NOT have success using cheddar cheese for melting)

I only used chicken broth/stock

I use 5 Mild Italian Sausages ~ steamed then removed casing and crumbled instead of ground beef

Creamy Baked Beefaroni

1 lb penne (MINI PENNE A MUST)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
12 oz extra lean ground beef
1 3/4 cups tomato-based pasta sauce
1/2 cup beef stock or chicken stock
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 3/4 cups beef stock or chicken stock
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish with cooking oil.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the penne for eight to 10 minutes or until tender but firm. Drain.

Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened, which takes about four minutes.

Stir in the beef and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until no longer pink, which takes about four minutes.

Stir in the tomato pasta sauce and 1/2 cup stock. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until thickened. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, milk and 1 3/4 cup stock in a non-stick saucepan until smooth.

Place over medium heat and cook until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until thickened.

Stir in the cheddar cheese. Remove from heat.

Stir the cheese sauce into the meat sauce.

Toss the pasta with the sauce. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, until bubbly. Serves 4-6.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

yum, Dianne... this sounds delicious, hot and comforting. Wish I had me a bowl of it right now!

[jglass]

Thanks for sharing this. Sounds wonderful.

[jfain]

I have all the ingredients for this, hmmm it does sound comforting and I could easily convert it to gluten free. Thanks. If you add a little cornstarch to your shredded cheddar it will melt into the bechamel much more easily.

[jfain]

My husband will love this. Olga is a mysterious creature I must say. She posts amazing recipes but never participates in any discussions.

I was thinking the same thing the other day. She posted some good recipes on Epicurious but she never says a word. I guess she just likes to share the wealth of her recipes.

[dianncy64]

I really like Olga ~ I have to agree ~ Olga is mysterious but quite sincere ~ I wrote her a pm yesterday through fk to let her know about spice place ~ hopefully she'll start posting here as well and to let her know that I was posting her recipe here.

I have to admit I look forward to her posts ~ her recipes are real good and I have made quite a few of them.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Yeah, that Olga... she's something else, huh? I bet she'd be a hoot to actually converse with! Why is it that the ones over at EPI who OUGHT to clam-up and stop communicating never actually do? Ha! (For what it's worth, I've been visitng there the last week or two and my favorite foodie "G." has been lightly lurking but has not actually posted at all! Has anyone else noticed this? Lord- it must be pure HELL to actually be ran off and officially barred from activity at cyber-sites! I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to physically LIVE WITH someone who cannot even stay civil with complete strangers at an imaginary world, online!... God love'em!)

[dianncy64]

I would love to have a conversation with Olga ~ she does reply, always with sweetness too ~ but I think she is cautious - she saw the exiled one wreak havoc and I think she just didn't want to be targeted and can you blame her?

The Lurking one, does so because she has no life, she makes up a fantasy family and goes into elaborate pretend stories with fictitious family members (I caught her in several discrepancies and pointed it out to her and it sure made her go ballistic didn't it hahahah~ Her logging in daily as if she needs to let others know that she is still around and sending disturbing pm's to others is proof that she is someone who is seriously depressed. I was happy to be done with epi, though I miss very good friends, but in the end...it was worth it to me.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

RE: "Her logging in daily as if she needs to let others know that she is still around and sending disturbing pm's to others is proof "

I too was a victim of her with this crappola, last, just just prior to my leaving there. She was THE reason I left, of course. Ugh. She has such a TOXIC personality- pure POISON! Too bad too, cause when she was behaving and on her meds (???) she could be knowledgable and somewhat on an even-keel, y'know? But it never lasted long. Boom! There was always an explosion soon to follow, with her! When she was at peace and happy, we all knew it would never last for long. Christ almighty, to live with someone like that must be pure hell!

[Mapiva]

Let's leave her be on the other forum, she's not here so let's not drag her here.

I'm making this beefaroni tonight. I'm foregoing the stock, and I'll be making a bechamel cheese sauce instead. Unless there is a good reason to use vegetable oil I always use olive oil to sautee, and will use the necessary amount of butter for the bechamel. I guess I'm combining a classic macaroni & cheese with bolognese, and sticking it in the oven.