#write31days | October 17
Tuesday Tip
This is one of my very favorite recipes, I got it from my Youth Minister’s wife and have probably had it for over 15 years! Just realized the email I pulled the typed recipe from is from 2009, so maybe I’ve had it nearly 20 years?!?! #timeflies
Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients …
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green pepper
- 1 T butter or margarine
- 1 can (28 oz) tomatoes with liquid, cut up
- 1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
- 1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
- 12 oz spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I just use the regular shaker of Parmesan cheese)
In a large skillet saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano, and ground beef. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Place half of cooked spaghetti in greased 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish. Top with 1/2 of the vegetable mixture, sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers.
Mix the soup and water until smooth, pour over casserole. Top with Parmesan Cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees, until heated through.
My tips ….
- I used a can of garlic/fire something or other chopped tomatoes last time I made it and was really good!
- You can cut this recipe in half easily, full recipe feeds a crowd
- You can make it ahead and bake it next day, flavoring is even better
- I hand grate cheese, no bagged shredded cheese for me, so much better
- Easy to add/subtract ingredients for taste (more mushrooms?? no olives?? add spinach??)
- Reheats really well, so perfect for a leftover
- Use whatever kind of spaghetti you like; whole wheat, g-free, maybe even spaghetti squash, but I’ve never tried that.
- Casseroles are excellent for having your kitchen cleaned up BEFORE you eat…get everything to the sink, put casserole in oven to bake, and clean up your kitchen! I typically clean as I go and happened to look at the clock this night when I made a very similar dish and it took me 6 minutes to do the dishes while casserole baked. SIX! I love getting up from the table and only having to clean my plate and not a whole sink full of dishes.
A Plexus pink drink can help with the dishes too!
Enjoy!
Find all of this month’s posts here: #write 31 days |October 2017