Baked Cavatappi

I was in the mood to make some Italian food for my family and friends the other day so I made everyone baked cavatappi.

First I made a big pot of rich sauce using beef and sweet Italian sausage.

 I put some garden fresh basil in at the end.

 I mixed my ricotta with eggs and lots of parmesan cheese. You can use cottage cheese as a ricotta substitute.

Add some fresh basil and parsley and salt and pepper too.

 I cubed fresh mozzeralla and provolone cheese.

 The cavatappi is cooked about 3 minutes less than called for. It will continue to cook in the oven.  Don't overcook it.

 Make sure to drain it well.

 Once again I missed a few pics.  I made a bechamel sauce and mixed it into the egg mixture with a couple cups of the tomato sauce.  This was placed in casseroles and topped with more sauce and sprinkled with the cubes of cheese.  Parmesan was sprinkled over the tops along with some Italian seasoning.

 Bake them at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes until the top is golden and they are bubbling around the edges.

The internal temperature should be 165 degrees.

These freeze well too.

I made 5 big ones.

Casseroles of happiness.

Everyone was very happy to get one.