This recipe was adapted from one published in Southern Living magazine MANY years ago – so long ago that I don’t remember what year. It’s definitely a kid-pleaser and is actually not bad for adults, even though we’re really NOT the kind of people that normally use canned cream soups. The recipe originally had pimiento-stuffed olives in it, but I’m the only person in the family that likes green olives (Boy likes black ones), so I left those out. This is a horrible photo of the casserole, because it was taken when we ate the leftovers the next day. I initially made the casserole for Boy and Girl to eat with the babysitters while Hubby and I went out for an early celebration of his birthday, so I wasn’t here to take the photo when it was fresh out of the oven, but we heard laudatory reviews!
Baked Spaghetti Casserole
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup water
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, undrained and chopped
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 8-ounce package spaghetti, uncooked
2 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Cook first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan or stockpot, stirring until meat crumbles; drain and return to pan. Stir in soup and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir spaghetti and cheese cubes into meat sauce. Spoon into a lightly greased 13 X 9 inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove foil and sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese, and bake, uncovered, an 10 additional minutes.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.