Peppy Pasta

Ever find yourself in that riiiiight-before-dinner-dance...wondering...pondering...questioning...should I pirouette with pasta or should I leap with lo mein? Should I samba with sketti or should I tango with teriyaki? Should I shimmy with stir fry or mambo with manicotti?

You get what I'm sayin', right?
Your mind's on Milan, but your belly's on Beijing.

MAMA MIA! It can be madness.

So!!!! I have a recipe to releve' you back to reality, bambina. It's a very interesting dish. SO interesting, that it doesn't even have a name! I had to make one up for it. It's a fab lil fusion of Italian and Asian goodness...two very distinct flavors that when paired together become quite a perfect performance.

Just trust me. K?

BRAVO!

Props go out to my {MIL} for this lil nifty number. She has cooked many a delectable dish for me over the years, but WHERE THE HECK WAS THIS ONE THE WHOLE TIME?!!!!! Wowza! She whipped this one up during her Easter visit this year, and I haven't stopped making it since.

I'll admit...when she said the main ingredient was PASTA, a few of my Italian red flags went up...but my Midwestern homegirl knows her way around the kitchen...so I was intrigued, and decided to listen.

After just one bite, I was smitten. SMITTTTTTEN. As usual, I ate like a monster. It was definitely a 2-plater night, thankyouverymuch.

Make this when you're feenin' for some comfort food. Make this on a cheat day! Make this on a Monday..and a Tuesday...and a Wednesday. Make this when you're HANGRY. Make this for friends. Make this for enemies! JUST MAKE THIS!!!!!!

{Peppy Pasta}
1 package Angel Hair Noodle Nests
1 jar Hoisin sauce
1.5lb. ground chuck
2 bunches of scallions

Fab Four.

{Step 1}
Fry up the meat. Drain. Mix in the entire jar of Hoisin sauce.

It's like a smokey, sweet, savory, glazey goodie.

{Step 2}
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.


{Step 3}
Boil the pasta nests according to the package. Drain. It's ok if they've split apart a bit. Place them in the casserole dish. They will act as the base of the dish.

So cute!

See? They'll probably split apart.

{Step 4}
Pour the meat/Hoisin mixture all over the top of the nests. Cover the whole darn thing! Make sure the mixture gets smooshed into the nooks and crannies.

Like an international Hamburger Helper almost!

{Step 5}
Dice up 2 bunches of scallions and sprinkle them all over the top of the meat/Hoisin mixture. Pop the dish into the oven and bake it on 350 for about 10 minutes. Serve with crab rangoons.

These scallionss will wilt down into little honeys from Heaven.

It's seriously going to smack you right in your mouth. Mangia!