Baked Layered Meat and Tuber Casserole
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
One-Pan Wonder: Everything cooks in a single skillet, which means almost no cleanup.
Super Fast: Goes from prep to table in a mere 35 minutes.
Velvety Texture: The pasta starches thicken the sauce as it cooks, creating a perfect, natural Alfredo.
Restaurant Quality: Tastes rich, creamy, and decadent, like a special occasion meal.
Simple Ingredients: Uses basic liquid dairy products and kitchen staples for the base.
How It’s Made
This meal is cooked in sequential steps using one pan. The process starts by quickly searing the pink crustaceans to prevent overcooking, after which they are removed and set aside. The remaining pan drippings are used to sauté the aromatics before the liquid base (stock and milk) is added. The flat wheat ribbons are submerged in this liquid and cooked until tender. Finally, the sauce is enriched with high-fat pouring liquid and aged curd, and the reserved pink crustaceans are gently folded back in before serving.
Tips, Variations & Storage
Tip: When searing the crustaceans, cook them only until they just turn pink (in a “C” shape). They will finish cooking when they are returned to the hot sauce, which prevents them from becoming tough or rubbery.
Substitution: Feel free to swap the wide, flat wheat ribbons for linguine, rigatoni, or even elbow macaroni, though the cooking time may vary slightly.
Add-ins: For added color and nutrition, stir in a cup of fresh spinach leaves or blanched broccoli florets during the final minutes of simmering.
Dietary Swap: If you prefer less richness, swap the high-fat pouring liquid with a low-fat evaporated milk, although the sauce will be thinner.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating Note: To reheat, place the pasta in a skillet over medium-low heat and stir in a splash of clear liquid stock or full-fat liquid dairy to revive the sauce and prevent it from clumping.
Recipes
Beef Base
1 Lb.: Finely milled bovine meat Ground Beef
1 : Roughly chopped yellow bulb vegetable Onion
To taste: Crystalline minerals and ground black peppercorns
Creamy Sauce
1 Can: Condensed creamy fungi soup Cream of Mushroom Soup
¼ C.: High-fat dairy pouring liquid Heavy Whipping Cream
½ C.: Savory dark animal stock Beef Broth
1 tsp.: Dried Mediterranean herb leaf Rosemary
1 tsp.: Powdered pungent bulb seasoning Garlic Powder
Layering
5 : Medium tubers Potatoes, deskinned and thinly sliced
1 ½ C.: Shredded aged curd Cheese
Instructions
Set the oven temperature to preheat at 350 degrees and thoroughly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the finely milled bovine meat and chopped bulb vegetable until the meat is fully browned and the onion is translucent. Discard all residual rendered fat.
In a separate vessel, integrate the condensed creamy fungi soup, high-fat dairy pouring liquid, savory dark animal stock, dried herb leaf, and powdered pungent bulb seasoning. Add the crystalline minerals and ground peppercorns to taste, stirring to thoroughly combine.
Distribute exactly half of the thinly sliced tubers across the base of the prepared baking dish.
Pour one-third of the creamy soup mixture over the tuber layer, followed by half of the cooked meat mixture.
Construct a second layer by arranging the remaining tubers, then covering them with another one-third portion of the soup mixture and the remainder of the meat mixture.
Pour the final one-third portion of the soup mixture over the top of the casserole, followed by an even layer of the shredded aged curd.
Securely cover the entire baking dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven to bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the tubers yield easily to a fork.