Pots of Love

Anyone who frequents this blog knows how I love to make individual servings of many recipes. Maybe it is my penchant for neatness or maybe I just like cute food. This recipe was a big hit with my family. I heated 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauteed a diced onion, 3 cloves of diced garlic and some diced peppers from my garden. When they softened, I added 1 pound of ground beef and several links of diced chorizo sausage. Once the meat browned I added salt and pepper, a large can of tomato sauce and allowed that to simmer for 20 minutes. Then I added one large bunch of chopped cilantro. Taste and season with salt and pepper.



Next I made a simple bechamel sauce. Melt one stick of butter in a heavy pan and whisk in 4 tablespoons of flour. Whisk this for a few minutes and then slowly whisk in 2 cups of milk. Continue to whisk until it starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg. Then stir in 1 cup of shredded romano cheese.


Add about 1/4th of the bechamel to the meat sauce.


Stir to combine.


Coat some small bowls or casseroles with cooking spray.


Boil 1 pound of spaghetti until al dente. Do not overcook the pasta because it will continue to cook in the oven.


Mix the spaghetti and the sauce thoroughly.


Then spoon some of the pasta into each casserole.


Top each with the bechamel/cheese mixture and spread it to cover.


Sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese.


Bake in a 350 degree oven until the tops are golden. I baked these for 40 minutes and then put them under the broiler for a short time.


Cute!


Yummy!


Scrumptious.


I think kids would like these too.


***Some people asked me about quinoa yesterday saying they had never heard of it. Quinoa is one of the ancient grains. It comes from the Andean region of South America. It is related to beets, spinach and tumbleweeds of all things. It has a very high protein content and a balanced set of amino acids. The Incas named it "the mother of all grains'. It is gluten free and a complete protein source. This is a very healthy food to add to your diet.


***Remember to enter the spell book giveaway by clicking on the button on my sidebar.