Use Broken Lasagna Noodles in Stews
Half the fun of stew season is choosing which carbohydrate to serve as a side dish. As much as I love crispy loaf of bread and potatoes in all their forms, my favorite partner for hearty, meaty stews will always be plain buttered noodles, especially the cheap , ripped lasagna noodles.
Broken lasagna noodles outperform classics like dried egg noodles or fresh pappardelle for several reasons. By crushing them into jagged shards, you can choose the perfect size ; The noodles can be as huge, pliable, or as tiny as your stew requires. They are surprisingly solid when cooked – you only need one or two whole noodles per serving – and all those ridges and jagged edges are great sauce traps. And since no lasagna recipe on earth uses exactly one or two boxes of noodles, they’re practically free. I bet there is a lonely, almost empty box of lasagna noodles in your pantry right now.
The next time you’re in need of a hearty stew and need a carbohydrate friend, ditch the fancy pasta and tackle the cheap stuff in your pantry. No special preparation required: just break the noodles and boil in salted water until al dente. As with any dried pasta, this can be stopped or finished in a skillet with a little water for the pasta and stew. I served them chicken thigh beef stroganoff, but the broken lasagna pairs perfectly with everything from beef bourguignon to vegan bolognese and everything else you can dream of.