Sweet & Savory Thursday - Holiday Baked Spaghetti

This is a great entree to serve to your holiday guests.  You can prepare it ahead of time, freeze it, and heat and serve, if necessary.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. garlic, diced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bottle - 28 oz. to 30 oz. diced tomatoes, liquid included
• 1  - 4 oz. can sliced black olives
• 2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• 1 tsp. freshly ground salt, optional
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
• 12 ounces spaghetti noodles, cooked in 1/2 tsp. olive oil, and drained
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 - 10.75 oz. can Cream of Mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup grated or shredded Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large skillet or saucepan, lightly saute onion and garlic in olive oil.
• Add ground beef and brown until meat is cooked thoroughly, drain, and return to skillet or saucepan.
• Add tomatoes, olives, oregano flakes, salt (optional) and pepper.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
• Place 1/2 of the cooked noodles in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
• Top with half of the ground beef and tomato mixture.
• Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
• Repeat the above three layers.
• Mix the soup and water until thoroughly blended and pour over the top of the casserole mixture.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.
• Garnish with sliced olives.
• Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
• Serves 12.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• Serve with green salad & garlic french bread.
• Follow up with your favorite dessert or browse my Sweet & Savory Blog Page for some great suggestions!

Happy Holiday Dining!

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Sweet & Savory Thursday ~~ Busy Day Casserole

                                                    BUSY DAY CASSEROLE


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• Seasonings of your choice such as garlic powder, seasoned pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, seasoned salt, dehydrated onion, etc.
• 1 - 14 oz. can of cut green beans
• 1 - 10.5 oz can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 -  24 oz. bag of frozen tater tots

Directions:

• Place uncooked ground beef in bottom of 9 x 9 inch square bake ware.
• Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice.
• Drain liquid from can of green beans and spread evenly over top of seasoned meat.
• Spread cream soup evenly over top of green beans.
• Layer tater tots on top.
• Bake one hour at 350 degrees or until tots are golden brown.

Helpful hints:

• The very best part about this recipe is that it can be assembled in about 10 minutes flat, and you do not need to brown the ground beef before placing it inside the bake ware!  This is a huge time saver to say the least.
• It's fun to experiment using different seasonings in this recipe.  I would start out using the seasonings that your family likes the best, and then add some additional ones the next time you make it.
• This is a great dish to take to someone who has just experienced a death in the family; to the mother of a newborn baby; to a potluck dinner, and so forth.
• The recipe can be made ahead of time and placed in the freezer to be cooked at a later time.
• Some people like to put Ketchup on top before eating their serving of it.
• This recipe has continued to be one of our family favorites for generations. 
• I have made this dish in a crock pot and cooked it on a low setting for about 6 hours and it turned out very well!

Living in the west, it puts a big smile on my face to be using beef and potatoes when preparing meals for my family.  

Happy Eating & Happy Reading!

This recipe is taken from the official Sheila Fabulous Collection.

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