Tried to do this recipe from scratch as we found a forgotten frozen bechamel sauce in the freezer. Turns out it was actually a cheese bechamel sauce, which made the dish all the better!
This was up there with the best pasta dish I have ever had!
If anyone wants to try this then might I suggest:
1) doubling the amount of white sauce compared to what the recipe provides and calls for? A cup or so of white sauce.
2) making the white sauce into a cheese sauce by grating cheese into it while it is hot. I never know how much cheese to add to a bechamel but I tend to go heavy on the cheddar.
3) using the attached ratio for a homemade Tuscan Heat Spice Blend. Using 1 teaspoon as you base measure this will provide enough spice for about 8 plates of this dish. My thanks to whichever kind soul originally created the fil with the spice mixes.
4) serving with a crusty baguette, generously spread with garlic butter (40g of room temp butter, 3 crushed garlic cloves, mixed together and salted to taste, enough for 2 people, possibly 4). We overdid it on the baguette, admittedly.
An awesome meal! Had to share the cheese sauce hack and my thanks to the originator of the spice blend!
by JulesCT