This is amazingly versatile. You could layer it with lasagna noodles and make alfredo lasagna. You can add in some torn fresh spinach leaves to the alfredo sauce and make this without or without the noodles. You could saute some onion, peppers and carrots and stir them in before baking, or place some thinly sliced zucchini planks between the meat and cheese layers. I’m going to try steaming some broccoli and adding it to the top of the cooked dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 1 jar Alfredo sauce (This tends to be salty. Compare sodium counts when you buy and, for heaven’s sake, don’t add salt to this recipe!)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese (or you can use provolone or any kind of very mild cheese)
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onions (to put on top, after cooking)
- Optional ingredients, as described at the top
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 and get out a small oval casserole dish or an 8 x 8 pan.Assemble all your ingredients. I had cooked 2 pounds of sausage in the crockpot, had eaten some, and was trying to figure out how to determine how much of what I had left should go into this. I realized that the weight was probably different after cooking because of the grease being drained off. After playing with the food scale a bit, I gave up and swagged it.
Mix together the sausage, alfredo sauce and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and the cheddar cheese.
Add the parmesan and the eggs. Mix well.
Place a layer of meat into the casserole dish, then a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat. Look for any streaks of food left behind and gently rub them off with a paper towel before baking.
I was pressed for time last time I made this, so I microwaved it for 10 minutes at that point to shave off a little baking time. Then I topped it with thin slices of provolone cheese.
Before placing it into the oven, add the sliced green onion.
Bake for 45 minutes.
This is very rich. Be sure you serve it with something extremely light, such as spinach salad, fresh fruit, steamed broccoli or green beans. If you dish it out, it’s best to dish out small portions. People won’t realize until they taste it that they won’t be able to eat a big helping. For that reason, it’s ideal for baking in small, individual casserole dishes. If you do so, remember that it will bake up in a shorter amount of time. Peek at it after 20 minutes to see if it looks like it has started browning. Watch closely thereafter.
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