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A leftover meatloaf casserole, perfect for reinventing dinner with cozy nostalgia.
Back when I was an overwhelmed first-year teacher, Tuesday nights quickly became leftover night in my tiny apartment. After long days of wrangling middle schoolers and attempting to turn chaos into learning, I needed a dinner that promised comfort without requiring much thought. One week, I found myself staring at a sad-looking half-eaten meatloaf and some odds and ends from the cheese drawer. Inspiration struck as I recalled the massive pasta bakes my mom used to whip up on our busiest school nights.
With small shell pasta always on hand for quick dinners, I decided to channel that nostalgia into a meatloaf casserole. I crumbled the leftover meatloaf over al dente pasta, savoring its familiarity. A blend of ricotta and mozzarella brought it all together, ensuring every bite felt like an embrace. Baking it all in one dish meant less cleanup, another blessing after a day of grading essays. The key, I discovered, was a good layer of sauce: enough to keep the casserole moist but not so much that it drowned everything else. Let it sit for a few minutes after baking to achieve neat, clean slices.
Eventually, these nights became a mid-week ritual I treasured. As I dished up my quirky reinvented dinners, I found a rhythm in the classroom and a newfound joy for life’s simpler pleasures. Leftovers transformed from an afterthought to a canvas of creativity, helping me rediscover the art of turning chaos into something warm and welcoming.
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked small shell pasta
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 cups meatloaf sauce or meatloaf glaze homemade or canned, such as Hunt's® Seasoned Tomato Sauce for Meatloaf
- 2-4 cups leftover meatloaf crumbled
- mixed vegetables of your choice, optional, to taste, cooked and warm, for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the small shell pasta to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta.
- Place the cooked pasta in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta and the mozzarella until well-combined.
- Top the pasta in the casserole dish with 1/2 of the cheese mixture.
- Spread 1/2 of the meatloaf sauce over the top of the cheese layer in the dish.
- Top the sauce layer with the crumbled meatloaf.
- Layer the remaining cheese and the remaining meatloaf sauce over top, spreading the sauce to cover the casserole.
- Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
- Serve with the warm mixed vegetables.
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