A family favorite recipe for baked spaghetti casserole made with whole grain pasta, sharp white cheddar cheese, lean ground beef, peppers, mushrooms, and spices.
I haven't made this Baked Spaghetti Casserole in a long time, but it used to be a regular in our house when the kids were little and my husband wasn't avoiding pasta like the plague. I love how different this baked spaghetti tastes from the classic tomato-based version. It has a ton of flavor and freezes well as a make-ahead meal. The original recipe came from a newspaper article I read about 17 years ago. I had cut it out and saved it in one of my recipe scrapbooks as a family favorite. Just typing that makes me feel really old...yikes! Where does the time go???!
I can't believe that I haven't blogged this recipe yet, but better late than never, right?! It's from a cookbook called "A Taste of Providence: A Second Helping" by Doris Grace and Joan Hackney. I modified it slightly to include fresh mushrooms, instead of canned and substituted olive oil for the butter. I also used the protein plus spaghetti to boost the protein content in this dish. A whole-grain variety would be great, too. However you decide to adapt it, it's absolutely delicious!
How To Make Baked Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients You'll Need:
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup green pepper, chopped
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 28 oz tomatoes, chopped
- 2.25 oz can sliced black olives
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 12 oz spaghetti, cooked and drained (I use and love the Barilla Protein Plus spaghetti)
- 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 10 ¾oz carton cream of mushroom soup (I use the Pacific Foods organic brand)
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute mushroom, garlic, onion, and green pepper until soft. Add in tomatoes, olives, and Italian seasoning and stir until blended. Add ground beef and cook, uncovered, until no longer pink.
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Add half of the cooked spaghetti, then top with half of the meat mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar on top, then repeat layers. Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar on top, then repeat layers. Stir the mushroom soup and water together and pour over the top. Next, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!
Baked Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup green pepper chopped
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 28 oz tomatoes chopped
- 2.25 oz can sliced black olives drained
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 12 oz spaghetti cooked and drained (I love the Protein Plus spaghetti)
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese shredded from block
- 10 ¾ oz carton organic cream of mushroom soup such as Pacific Foods brand
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Saute mushroom, garlic, onion and green pepper until soft
- Add in tomatoes, olives and Italian seasoning and stir until blended
- Add ground beef and cook, uncovered, until no longer pink
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add half of the cooked spaghetti, then top with half of the meat mixture
- Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar on top, then repeat layers.
- Stir mushroom soup and water together and pour over top.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes
Nutrition
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Bea
WHoaa. It's similar to lasagna I think. NIce!
Tanya
I've been making a similar baked spaghetti dish for years. This is the first time I've found it on a food site. I use canned tomatoes, canned sliced mushrooms and angel hair pasta. It is by far the best spaghetti dish I've ever had.
Amee Livingston
Tanya, it's one of our favorites! I love angel hair, so I'll have to try that next time!