Adventures in Substitution

Tonight's supper was brought to you by the letter S. S for Substitution. Due to the holiday last weekend and being out of town visiting family in Lake Havasu (home of the original London Bridge, as seen in the pictures) I wasn't able to get groceries until Tuesday night for this week. Apparently, I was not as thorough in the creation of my grocery list as I usually am, because I seem to have neglected to add ALL the things I needed for one recipe. So, when I got home tonight (Wednesday), I discovered I had about half the things needed for the recipe. Thus began my odyssey in the quest for making a dish that at least vaguely resembled what I was originally going for: Four Cheese Macaroni Casserole. (Click the link to see what the recipe was originally supposed to look like :-))

First, I realized I didn't have macaroni, but after a little digging, discovered half a pound of whole wheat rotini, which sufficed. Then, I remembered (or realized I DIDN'T remember getting) a large can of tomatoes. More digging turned up a large head of broccoli and some carrots, which of course, are not even close to tomatoes. But, it's what I had. I decided to make up for the lack of tomato acidity by adding white wine vinegar, lemon juice left over from citrus season and a bit of spaghetti sauce I had in the fridge. While I was digging around in there, I found some leftover Easter ham and threw that in as well. The more, the merrier, right?

Then, while adding the spices, I remembered that I didn't have any italian seasoning, because when I was planning on buying more, I had decided to just make my own with the herbs in my garden, but they aren't finished drying yet. I could have just gone out to the garden and gotten fresh ones, but...I didn't. So, I made do by adding bits of oregano, basil, marjoram, sage, rosemary and thyme. 

And finally, the cheeses. The key element of the dish. I had cheddar and mozzarella, but I did not have any Parmesan cheese, fresh, fake, or otherwise, so we did the obvious: turn it into a 3 cheese casserole. Then, my standard substitution, goat cheese instead of feta, rounded out the dish. When all was said and done, I somehow ended up with a yummy, cheesy, italian-y, vegetable pasta dish. Luckily. My adventures in substitution don't usually end this well :-) Anytime they don't end in me running to Food City halfway through a recipe, I feel victorious though. Here's the final version: 

Three Cheese Italian Veggie Casserole

3 1/2 c. uncooked whole wheat spiral pasta

1 large or 2 small broccoli heads (not bunches), chopped and steamed

2 carrots, peeled, chopped, and steamed

2/3 c. spaghetti sauce

2 t. white wine vinegar

1 T. lemon juice

1 1/4 t. dried oregano

1 1/4 t. dried basil

1/8 t. dried marjoram

1/8 t. dried sage

1/8 t. dried thyme

1/8 t. dried rosemary

salt and pepper

1 c. diced ham, optional

1 1/2 c. cheddar, shredded

1 1/2 c. mozzarella, shredded

1/3 c. goat cheese crumbles

1. Preheat oven to 350. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and pasta. Cook according to package directions and drain. Steam vegetables for 5-7 minutes, or just until tender. 

2. Mix steamed vegetables with pasta sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, salt, pepper, and ham (optional). 

3. Combine pasta with 1 1/4 c. cheddar, 1 1/4 c. mozzarella, and 1/4 c. goat cheese crumbles. Add veggie mixture. Place in 3 qt. casserole dish. Top with remaining 1/4 c. cheddar, 1/4 c. mozzarella, and 2-3 T. goat cheese crumbles. 

4. Bake for 15-25 minutes.