My mother-in-law is so smart and hip that one summer vacation we met up in Cape Cod and she and I were wearing the same bathing suit.  You might be thinking that it’s because I’m old when it comes to fashion, but you’d be wrong; it’s the converse in that she’s just so hip.  Ahem…. When I asked her one night what the dinner plan was during a visit and she remarked “Mussgo”, I almost started sweating despite being accustomed to her said-hipness.

family meals leftovers pasta bake recipeWas she talking about some kind of clean road kill ala muskrat, perhaps a new, hot ethnic cuisine I’ve yet to learn to love or maybe I just needed to use some Q-tips.  As someone who doesn’t want to appear like an idiot, I said “Oh, OK, sounds good.”, but then furtively loaded up on a pre-dinner snack just in case a slow road-crossing rodent got plopped on my plate.

What she later told me when I couldn’t take it any longer was that Mussgo is everything in the fridge that Must Go.  Think leftover cooked meats, onesey-twosey vegetables, a little bit of cheese….the Mussgo List is big and we all know it!  Taking it a step further why not incorporate pantry staples as well?   One of the best canvases for using Mussgo ingredients is pasta and I’ve adapted a creamy no-bake pasta recipe into my own.  I make this as a one-dish entrée for my family, but you could also do a simple one as a side dish as well.  The night I made this concoction featured in the pictures below, it was the day before grocery shopping day and I was running on fumes.  You see here frozen green beans, leftover chickpea salad (yes, I’m serious), a little bit of feta, carrot chips that I put in the kids’ lunches and two chicken sausage links that I quickly chopped and heated over the stove only because I wanted the brown marks on it (they already come pre-cooked).  The only rule for this dish is to make sure your meats are pre-cooked and follow the guideline on the liquid amounts to pasta ratio.

Mussgo Pasta Bake leftovers pasta bake recipe family meal

8 oz. dried pasta, like penne
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. leftover cooked meat, like diced chicken breast, ground turkey, sausage (meat optional
2 c. vegetables (frozen or fresh)
16 oz. pasta sauce (marinara, other flavors)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes or other pantry item
1 ½ c. cheese like Italian cheeses, divided
1 t. each salt and pepper
2 c. whole milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 3-quart casserole dish or 9×13 dish.

In a large bowl combine everything except the milk and ½ c. up cheese.  Spread the mixture into the greased casserole.  Carefully pour the milk evenly over the mixture.  Cover the dish with the lid, or cover tightly with a double layer of foil.  (You want to ensure the pasta gets adequately steamed during cooking).  Bake for 50-60 minutes, until pasta is done.

Uncover and top with remaining ½ c. cheese.  Cook for another 5 minutes, remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Jen Notes:  Fresh herbs go a long way to raising a dish to the next level (fresh oregano is my favorite).  Don’t be afraid to see what’s in your pantry also!  Canned red peppers, olives, even beans would be a great addition to this kind of Mussgo dish.  I also pack this in thermoses for my kids’ lunches the next day.  Want to move past red sauce?  Do it with broth, a little olive oil, a little white wine and milk.