Create-A-Casserole

This is the kind of weeknight casserole built for cleaning out the fridge. Cooked meat (leftover beef, chicken, or whatever’s hanging around), cooked pasta, a simple tomato-and-onion sauce thickened with a quick roux, all baked together and topped with cheese. The “create-a” in the name is literal: swap the meat, swap the pasta shape, swap the cheese, the structure holds.

The flour-butter roux is what separates this from just dumping canned sauce over pasta. It gives the sauce body and cling, so every noodle stays coated instead of drying out during the 25 minutes in the oven.

Rigatoni and cubed beef are the default here, but cooked chicken with penne and cheddar works just as well, as does ground turkey with elbow macaroni and Monterey Jack. The technique is identical.

Kitchen Tips

• Undercook the pasta by a minute before stirring it in. It finishes cooking in the sauce and won’t turn mushy after 25 minutes in the oven.
• Crush the canned tomatoes with your hands or a fork before adding. Whole tomatoes stay weirdly intact through the bake and cut with resistance on the plate.
• Let the roux cook for a full minute or two after adding the flour before adding liquid. Raw flour gives a pasty taste that doesn’t cook out later.
• Cover the casserole with foil for the first 20 minutes of baking if the top browns too fast, especially in a dark-colored pan.
• Let rest 5 minutes after baking. The sauce tightens as it cools and slices cut cleaner.

Variations

• Stir in a cup of frozen peas or sauteed mushrooms with the meat and pasta for a vegetable boost.
• Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for more flavor.
• Top with a layer of breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan and olive oil before the final 5 minutes for a crunchy gratin finish.