From the Kitchen - Outside the Nest

Spaghetti Bake Dish

It was really an accident that this recipe developed.

You see, I am getting ready to move to a new nest,

so I need to try to clear out the old nest.

Which means, use up what's in the refrigerator and freezer. 

This is really just something I threw together,

and well, I'll be making this again and again,

especially during casserole season, also known as fall thru the following spring.

I started by chopping some green pepper and red onion that I had in the freezer. I added a clove of fresh garlic.

Next came that lonely quarter pound of ground beef,

waiting to be grilled. Sorry, not this time.

Then I added the part of a can of diced tomatoes and black beans that I had left over from the batch of Southwest Chicken Soup that I featured several weeks ago. Next came that dab of salsa that had no chips to go with it. Yummy.

While that was going on, I was cooking up a handful of  whole wheat spaghetti to el dente. I think that means just until you can put a dent in it. In other words, it's going to have a little chew to it.

I poured my meat concoction over the dented spaghetti,

added sour cream and messed it around,

topped it with shredded cheddar, and baked it.

Youza, this is really, really tasty.

Add a green vegetable, and there you got it.

Any kind of meat would work. The black beans are added protein. There are vegetables in the mix.

Any way you bake it, is it ever good.

Happy Saturday

Spaghetti Bake Dish

1 ounce whole wheat spaghetti

1/4 pound ground beef

1 Tbsp chopped green pepper

1 Tbsp chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 C canned, diced tomatoes

1 C drained black beans

1/4 C salsa

1/4 C fat free sour cream

1/2 C reduced fat shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a one-quart casserole with cooking spray, set aside. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions, until el dente. Drain. In small skillet sprayed with cooking spray, sauté green pepper, onion and garlic, until soft. Add the tomatoes, beans and salsa, heat through. Place spaghetti in prepared casserole dish, top with meat mixture and sour cream, and stir. Top with cheese, cover and bake 25-30 minutes, until heated through and bubbly, and cheese is melted. 3 servings