Spaghetti Casserole

I guess I am on a ‘grain’ kick lately because everything I make for dinner has pasta or rice in it! Frugality rules! This dish is especially nice to take to a gathering. It is easy to make and easy to eat and tastes really good! You can make it in stages and add some meat or sausage or poultry if you want-it just gets better. I took it to a potluck last night and had one serving left. I fought for that one serving. Yeaow!

Spaghetti Casserole

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Equipment: large saucepan with lid, spaghetti cooker with strainer, 9″ X 13″ pyrex pan

1 lb spaghetti, broken in half
1 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1 28 oz can plum tomatoes
1 12 oz jar bruchetta
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2-1 tsp thyme, if wanted
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 C sliced mushrooms
parmesan cheese, grated

Pour 1 T olive oil in the saucepan and heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Meanwhile, break up the tomatoes and add tomatoes and sauce to the onion/garlic mixture along with the herbs*, salt and pepper. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour. Add the bruchetta and olive oil and cook for 30 minutes.
Prepare the spaghetti according to package directions just barely “al dente”. When the spaghetti is ready, drain and toss with 1/2 the sauce and the mushrooms and pour in the lightly oiled pyrex pan. Be sure to remove the bay leaf from the sauce at this point and splash a little olive on top of the spaghetti before sliding it in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes until slightly browned, pour the rest of the sauce on top, mush it into the spaghetti, and cook for another 15 minutes. Grate some parmesan cheese over all and cook until melted.
Makes 12-16 servings. I let it sit for a few minutes before cutting into pieces.

Note: You can use some dried, fresh Italian seasoning in place of the thyme and oregano. Y’all know you can’t keep dried seasonings forever, don’t you?