Week 43 - Cheesy Rontini Casserole

Cheesy Rontini Casserole 

Week 43 of 52

Vegetarian Entree #6

    Yeah, so I created this recipe and I have to say I wasn't super pleased with the results.  It was something I "threw together". I've been dealing with several issues and just put this together, because I didn't want to put the pressure on myself to find a recipe I liked. The cool thing about this recipe, is you can modify amounts (use more or less) and you can modify the ingredients. For example, don't have black beans, use pinto? Use diced tomato with seasoning, rather than plain diced tomato. Modify seasonings as you wish. Make it your own. 

Ingredients:

2 cups rontini noodles

1 can black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 cup shredded cheese (I like colby jack)

1 recipe white sauce (below)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

spicy/creole seasoning

1/2 cup or more panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp butter, melted (more if you use more bread crumbs)

White sauce 

    1/4 Cup butter (melted) 

    2 cups milk

    1/4 cup flour 

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/8 teaspoon pepper 

• Make a medium white sauce by melting butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and once it is bubbling, slowly pour in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened. Season with salt and pepper. 
• One trick I've used for white sauce, is to heat the milk in the microwave for a one to two minutes before adding. It has helped it to thicken quicker in the past. 

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook your noodles to al dente, drain and pour into a bowl. Mix in the beans, tomatoes and corn. When you've made the white sauce, stir in the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, spicy or creole seasoning or your favorite blend, to taste. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Mix together bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with hot, toasty, French bread or rolls and a salad. 

Cheesy Rontini Casserole

Cheesy Rontini Casserole