I hate working late, but I love when dinner is awaiting me when I get home after working late.

Like last night.

With the weather more January than March, a pasta dish was just what Mother Nature ordered. And what a pasta dish it was! Noodles tossed in a béchamel sauce and then topped with a beefy ragù. Pure gastronomic heaven.

It was one of those dishes where each part was perfect on its own but when they were mixed together… fantastico

He started out with a simple marinara we had in the freezer and added ground beef, carrots, and celery and cooked it down until it was very thick.

He then made a thin béchamel sauce – 5 tbsp butter, 5 tbsp flour, 1 qt milk, and a pinch of nutmeg – and then added some freshly-grated parmesan cheese for the Italian influence. When the egg noodles were cooked, he tossed them with the béchamel and plated them in a ring. The ragù went into the center.

It was one of those dishes that everything worked. Perfectly.

The other nice thing was that it made enough for dinner and lunch. The new normal around here is making sure there are plenty of easy lunch options available every day.

Success on every level.