Sausage Gravy Casserole

Let's set the scene a little before we begin, shall we?

Saturday.  About 11:45.  In the kitchen.  Making lunch.  Decided on sausage gravy over noodles with buttery sliced carrots on the side.  Yum!  The sausage is browning.  The water is boiling.  The carrots are peeled and sliced.  I'm looking forward to eating. The kids and Bryan are watching some TV, enjoying some relaxed time together...

Ready?  Action!
---

Bryan: "Honey, are you going to eat lunch before you leave?"

Me: "Where am I going?"

Bryan: "Isn't your dog class this afternoon?"

Me: "Oh yes...thanks!  We will be eating first.. just give me a minute"

---

Hmmm...at the current rate, the lunch I was prepping was going to be done at 12:15.  We had to leave at 12:30.  That wouldn't work! I'd be late to puppy kindergarten.  Didn't want that!

Time to improvise.  I do that a lot in the kitchen.

I grabbed some tortillas, mayo and lunch meat from the fridge and Ellie helped me assemble wraps for lunch.  Once I get all the kids going with their lunch, I return to the kitchen.  My sausage gravy is getting close to done.  The carrots are finally tender.  And my noodles are ready to drain. 

Not wanting to waste anything, I used my few remaining minutes to drain the noodles.  I added a little extra chicken broth to my gravy.  And I mixed them together in a greased 9X13 pan.  Hmm...noodles and meat in a pan.  That makes...Dinner!

Looking at the carrots, I was inspired further.  I stirred them in and realized with satisfaction that I had a complete meal sitting here.  I threw foil on top of my makeshift casserole, and got it in the fridge until later in the day.

Good thing my wonderful husband fixed the stove for me while I was gone!

Dinner prep was simple that night.  Turn oven on.  Put pan in oven.  Set timer.  Wait.

And my experiment?  It was sure tasty!  And filling.  And the carrots made a great addition!

I love it when things work out like that.

If you'd like to make a batch, first mix up some sausage gravy.

Sausage Gravy

1 pound pork sausage
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Brown your meat in a large frying pan until cooked over medium heat.  Stir the flour into your hot browned meat.  Add the butter and sizzle it all around, cooking about two minutes to get rid of the flour taste.

Slowly add broth while stirring to get rid of flour lumps.  Add milk.  Stir some more.  Let cook over medium until thick, stirring fairly frequently to avoid scorching.

Meanwhile, boil enough water to cook a pound of whole wheat egg noodles.  And peel 2 pounds of carrots and slice into coins.

Put your carrots in a pan with a lid, about 1/4 cup of water, and 2 T butter.  Cook over medium heat until just fork tender.

Cook your noodles al dente and drain.  Put noodles in a 9X3 dish.  Quickly stir sausage gravy into them.  Add drained carrots and stir.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did!