{ Trisha Yearwood's Baked Spaghetti }

Ok I give up, there is no recipe in this cookbook that I have disliked or found to be weird or using ingredients that I don't have on hand.

See I'm not a chef, I'm a mom and a wife who loves cooking, who learned how to cook with my greatgrandmother/grandmother/stepmom, therefore, I'm all about using every day ingredients, things we have on hand, I'm not big into gourmet stuff.

This book was made for me, no really, I'm sure Trisha Yearwood was thinking of me when she decided to print this, or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Tonight's dinner, Baked Spaghetti. Nothing special right? We've all had baked spaghetti before, matter of fact I have another version here on my blog, equally delicious but I still have to say, this new one is just OH.MY.

NOTE: I halved this recipe, it's only 4 of us and this would have been way too much food.

BAKED SPAGHETTI
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
3 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes with liquid
1 2.25-ounce can sliced ripe black olives, drained
1–2 tablespoons dried oregano, according to taste
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
12 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (5 ounces)
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup water
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13 × 2-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until slightly crisp, then cut it into smaller pieces. Remove the bacon and sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the tomatoes, olives, oregano, bacon, and the cooked beef. Simmer this mixture, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Place half of the spaghetti in the prepared pan. Top the spaghetti with half of the vegetable-beef mixture. Sprinkle this layer with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers. Mix the canned soup and water until smooth, and pour over the casserole. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through.

This entrée is also good if you substitute mozzarella cheese for the cheddar