We’ve been trapped in a house of sick kids and a spouse for the last few weeks, and there were a few functions that we would have otherwise been all too thrilled to attend. 

Despite our desires, though, it would seem God had his own plans for our family. I’m happy to say we are now healthy again, as well as a bit caught up and rested from the downtime of recovery. 

Just as we all came down with the toddler-born plague, we had gathered ingredients to make a large dish for the annual Game Supper at our church. We not only missed that, but we also missed the after-church luncheon the week prior. 

Well, no matter, we still made our covered dish. The only difference was that we never really covered it and took it anywhere. Waste not, want not. 

Mrs. Hill, in her infinite culinary wisdom, had decided a simple approach to our would-be contribution would be a pasta bake. It used ground meat, which was originally going to be venison, but in our shuffling of changing plans, ended up being regular ground beef. 

To be honest, if you can grind it, you can use it; that’s one of the lovely things about this dish—it’s very flexible.

For Christmas a couple of years ago, I got her a large cast iron dutch oven with a ceramic coating on the interior. Coincidentally, she got another one from a family member the same Christmas. For the record, mine was bigger by a couple of quarts, so she kept them both. 

It was on this current occasion that she broke out the big one and I knew we were going to be having leftovers. As a side note, at the time of the writing of this article, said leftovers have been handily demolished by yours truly. 

With a quick browning of the meat and a few additions from the pantry and the fridge, she had her concoction bubbling and looking beautiful. I thought it was ready to dig into, but she then showered her creation in cheese before placing it in the oven, where it stared at me as if to say, “Keep drooling.”

I eyed the bubbling cheese through the illuminated oven door, and in fact, found myself swallowing a few times in anticipation. A short 10 minutes later, however, the cheese had melted and turned a lovely shade of bronze, not unlike a well toasted mini pizza.

The way out here, we make a lot of plans around food, and when those plans change, the food certainly never goes to waste. 

Whether your family is under the weather or you have a big get-together coming up, a pasta bake is the perfect simple dish for your family or any other. Pull out your big pot and fill it with a meal to quell even the most aggressive appetites.