Trisha Yearwood's Baked Spaghetti

Yet another recipe from Homecooking with Trisha Yearwood...And I have to say I absolutely love this book!  So far I've tried her Chicken Pizza, Slow Cooker Pork Loin, Baked Spaghetti.  All of them have turned out great...so great I ordered a copy of her other cookbook this morning.

Now I love all kinds of pasta dishes...especially the baked ones.  But this was my first time making baked spaghetti.  It's pretty much the same as the regular spaghetti, only creamier.  Basically you layer the spaghetti with sauce and cheese, then top it off with a can of cream of mushroom soup.  I was sort of hoping the pasta would stay in the layers when you scooped it out, but it looked just like regular spaghetti.   Sill it tasted great...My only complaint is that it seemed like I had a ton of pots and pans to wash, but it was worth it.

Trisha Yearwood's Baked Spaghetti

adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

1 lb ground beef

6 slices bacon

1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 small bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 garlic clove, minced

3- 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with liquid

1- 2.25 oz can sliced black olives

2 tbs dried oregano

12 oz thin spaghetti

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1- 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13x2-inch baking dish; set aside.  In a large skillet, brown the beef; drain the fat and set aside.  In another large skillet (or just rinse out the one you browned the beef in), cook the bacon until it is slightly crisp.  Remove the bacon; cut into smaller pieces and set aside.  Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet; saute in the bacon drippings until tender.  Add the tomatoes, olives, oregano, bacon, and cooked beef.  Simmer the mixture, uncovered for 10 minutes; taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.  Meanwhile boil the spaghetti in a pot of salted water, according to the package instructions; drain well.  Place half of the spaghetti into the prepared pan.  Top the beef-tomato mixture.  Sprinkle this layer with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  Repeat the layers.  Mix the can of mushroom soup with the water, and pour over the casserole.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until heated through and bubbly.