Shepherd's Pasta Bake

From: Lorac

On Jul 7, 2003

Very Good. Not precooking the lamb, gives this dish a wonderful lamb flavor balanced by the sweetness of carrots and brown sugar and pepped up with a bit of cayenne.I made the recipe as directed except for having to substitute a grannular garlic salt for the garlic granules. I would prefer a bit less sugar but my husband totally disagrees! The recipe makes 12 serving and will be perfect for buffets and potluck dinners.

From: Derf

On Jun 25, 2003

Looking for a good week night casserole, this is not bad, but sorry we thought it was kind of mediocre. The lamb, onion, carrots and tomato came through but not much else. The crushed tomatos especially were a little overpowering, perhaps another type of tomato would be better, maybe plain diced or stewed. It could have done with more cayenne and garlic or other seasonings to cut through the tomatoes. It also seemed to cry out for a topping of some kind. If I make it again I would probably add more seasonings, a chopped jalepeno and some Parmesan on top. It was worth trying, I would not have thought to try lamb in a pasta bake, it's a strong meat and I feel it needs lots of strong seasonings to compliment it. Thanks for being original.

From: TOOLBELT DIVA

On Jul 10, 2003

The recipe, although very easy to make, does not give us any step-by-step instructions to follow preceding oven-baking. The recipe also does not indicate the required pan or casserole size(s) necessary to accommodate the ingredients. I was somewhat surprised that we are not instructed to brown the ground lamb or saute the onions and garlic prior to adding the seasonings. But it did work OK. I followed the recipe exactly as printed; the outcome was somewhat lacking in flavour. At the end of 1-1/4 hours, baking time, covered, plus 10 minutes uncovered, the tomatoes were absorbed by the other ingredients, resulting in a slightly dry Pasta Bake. The top of the Pasta Bake was nicely crunchy, as the recipe suggests, but the food also began to stick to the sides and bottom of the roasting pan. This, in itself, was not offensive, because it did not burn, but presented itself as being quite crusty, all around. Perhaps this is the intent. For the future, I would suggest browning the ground lamb in a large frying pan; then onions, garlic and cayenne added. Continue cooking until the onions are clear. Then transfered to a large casserole dish, or medium-size roasting pan. Add the tomatoes, brown sugar, eggs, cooked pasta, salt and pepper to taste. I would consider other herbs and seasonings, as well, to add flavour.

From: Bergy

On Jul 8, 2003

A wonderful family casserole - very tasty but not over spiced. If you like things spicy it is very simple to add a bit of hot sauce at the table. I felt it was a little heavy with the pasta and would cut it back to 3/4 lb nest time.. The recipe states 12 sevings I think this would depend on who is dining - I think 6-10 servings would be closer. I used a 9 1/2"x14"x3" casserole dish and it was full so you can judge the number of servings from that. I beat the eggs slightly before incorporating them into the other ingredients. Freezes well Thanks for an excellent family recipe