RCP: Spaghetti Bake

K

karennoca

Well-known member
I was surprised at a couple of the reviews for this recipe...it is not bland. Very comforting dish that fills your home with the most wonderful, mouth watering aroma and was excellent. I used 85/15 ground beef, an orange bell pepper, San Marzano diced tomatoes, a good sharp cheddar, and full fat cream of mushroom soup and the real parmesan reggiano on top.

We loved it. I gave the recipe to a friend with 4 teens and they all loved it. OH, and I also used red pepper flakes, coarse sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe does not call for salt but pasta being pasta....it needs salt. I also cooked it for one hour, as I made it in the morning to allow the flavors to blend.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/spaghetti-bake/

 
It calls for 1/4 cup water mixed with the cream of mushroom soup...so I added

1/4 cup of the pasta water and saved a little more in case I needed it. I did not need it and the pasta even had a small amount of liquid in the bottom of the dish, which most seemed to disappear after I let it sit for about 6 to 7 minutes before spooning into.

 
This recipe will work (with only slight tweaks) when I need a dish for a potluck...

...or to take to a family who might need something comforting, especially if they have kids.

I made it as written, except I added about 1/2 tsp kosher salt to the meat/onion/green pepper mixture as it browned. After tasting the finished dish, I think I could have doubled that amount, and put a tsp of salt.

There was barely enough liquid, in my opinion. I will add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water next time.

I used canned sliced black olives, drained, and the canned mushrooms. The olives were not salty, nor the mushrooms. I used a 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (Cento) and tasted them before adding. They were acceptably salty, but not too.

My family ate it up. The recipe filled a 9 x 13 pyrex and nearly half of it was gone. This was between myself, DW, and teenage athlete son. They said it was a good, basic dish.

TWEAKS: When I make it for a potluck or as a comfort delivery, I would chop the olives into small dice, just to keep the kids from picking them out. Same with the mushrooms. Adding salt as per my notes above, and call it good.

When I make it for my family:

I will use chopped fresh mushrooms and saute in a little olive oil until they brown. Then I'll add some minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Take off heat and hold, adding them to the recipe as directed.

I will saute the onions in a little oil over high heat until they start to brown, then add the green pepper and the ground beef, reduce the heat to medium and brown the meat.

I might sub a low-fat (or rendered ahead of time) Italian Sausage for all or part of the ground beef. If I double the recipe, I'd probably go with a pound of each.

I'll use 2 tsp oregano.

I'll use Extra Sharp Cheddar.

I might split a cup of shredded Mozzarella and add it with the cheddar.

Definitely add the red pepper flakes, as you said, Karen.

I will leave it in the oven for 1 hour. (I took it out at 35 minutes because my son was "starving").

That's my take on it, Karen. Thanks for the recipe. I'll be making it again.

Michael

 
Great Michael, I also used fresh mushrooms, both white and brown. But I did not saute them

which would add an additional layer of excellent flavor to the dish. I used a deep 9X13 dish and we have eaten it for two nights. We hav about half left, which I will freeze in two batches for lunches. I served a side dish of veggies both nights. First night roasted carrots with walnut oil, maple syrup and brown sugar. Second night roasted, halved Brussels Sprouts with cherry tomatoes. Both good side dishes with the spaghetti.

I have another that was a winner when our kids were growing up if you are interested, I will post. Basically uses 1 lb bacon, 1 lb. spaghetti, 1 lb. cheddar, tomato soup and tomato sauce. Cooks on low for 4 hours. Let me know if you want it.

It was a dish I used to take to an elderly couple next door, they often requested it....said it was very comforting for them.

 
I'm thinking that would be easy to "pound" down.

That's a 3+ pound casserole you made.

SURE. I'd love the recipe.

We sometimes get a whole house full of college kids here, or we help other families who do (it's a Church thing) so to be able to put out a bunch of comfort food that is broadly appreciated is definitely a GOOD THING!

Thanks in advance, Karen.

Michael

 
RCP: Dunbar Spaghetti

This recipe was given to me about 35 years ago by our dentist's wife. They raised 9 children about 1 block from our home. At that time, they were cutting down their meat budget and she came up with this recipe.

1 lb. bacon
1 lb. spaghetti, cooked according to directions
1 lb. cheddar cheese
1 onion
2 cans tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce
large can sliced mushrooms

Fry bacon as desired, saute onion, add rest of stuff together in large roasting pan with lid. Cook at 250° for 4 hours.

I used fresh mushrooms, added red chili flakes, salt and pepper and fresh garlic.

 
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