As an undergraduate, I studied Sociology. So, by principle, I’m opposed to “man food” and “woman food.” I took a whole summer class on the sociology of food and food in writing. It’s fascinating and so fun to learn about! Man food may be categorized as heavy meats, beer, fried foods, etc. Women food may be categorized as light foods like finger sandwiches, salads, chocolate and tea.
I’m tempted to set aside my strict refusal of these categorized gender expectations, because today’s recipe so clearly could be labeled as a man food. Instead of going that route, let’s describe this as the ultimate comfort food. Low on vegetables…and when I mean low, I actually mean none. (Shhh!) Unless you count the tomato sauce.
It’s basically meatballs embedded in (a ton of) pasta and then topped with bubbling cheese. It’s incredibly quick and easy to make, which is what drew me to it in the first place. I hadn’t even considered adding it to ABeeBakes until Fabien’s rave reviews. It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner or when feeding a crowd because it just involves combining the ingredients and letting them bake until golden. Literally mush together the meatball ingredients. Mix together the sauce ingredients. Combine those two with the pasta and cheese and that is it. Oh, and the cheese measurement is entirely up to you. Sprinkle on as much as you’d like. And choose any cheese you love or have hanging around.
I wish I’d thought to take a picture of an actual serving because it’s pasta-dense. It looks a scoop of macaroni and cheese that holds its form. It’s best paired with a large green salad. Next time, I’m going to add some chopped broccoli or maybe some cubes of sweet potato (in with the pasta) just so I can still feel comfortable in my jeans afterward. 😉 Enjoy this as soon as the weather cools where you are, it’ll hit the spot.
A Bee Bakes 