Monday, March 9, 2009

Baked Spaghetti

At a Glance
  • Feeds: 12
  • Difficulty: Medium/Hard
  • Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
  • 1 can (28 ozs.) tomatoes with liquid (cut up)
  • 1 can (4 ozs.) mushroom stems and pieces (drained)
  • 1 can (2 ¼ ozs.) sliced ripe olives (drained)
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained (optional)
  • 12 ounces spaghetti cooked and drained
  • 1 can (10 ¾ ozs.) condensed cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Method
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • In a large skillet, sauté onion and green pepper in butter until tender.
  • Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano.
  • Add cooked veggie crumble (soy) if desired.
  • Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
  • Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 13” x 9” baking dish.
  • Top with half of the vegetable mixture.
  • Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese.
  • Repeat layers.
  • Mix the soup and water until smooth; pour over casserole.
  • Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through.

Mini Cheezy Pumpernickel Pizza Bites

At a Glance
  • Feeds: as many people as you want
  • Difficulty: Easy/Medium
  • Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
  • Soy/Vege Meat Crumble (morning star brand recommended)
  • Mini-loaf of pre-sliced Pumpernickel bread (each piece are about 2 or 3 inch squares)
  • Block of Velveeta Cheese
  • Ketchup or BBQ sauce
Method
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  • Defrost the vege crumble in the microwave
  • Microwave method (quicker): Add any spices/seasonings, add small blocks of velveeta to the container, and then cook the vege crumble in the according to instructions on package. Judge when to add the cheese according to how long you have to cook it (depends on how much you're making).
  • Pan Method: add the vege crumble to the pan on medium heat. Gradually add in velveeta cheese in chunks, slowly mixing it into the meat mixture. You can decide how 'cheesy' you want it as you go. The cheese should melt slowly enough for you to be able to taste test as you go.
  • While it is cooking, lay out your pumpernickel bread slices on an un-greased baking sheet
  • When the meat mixture is ready, put a 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of cooked vege crumble on each piece of bread.
  • Slide the baking sheet into the oven for 5-10 minutes at the most. You are only trying to get the bottom of each piece of bread a little crispy, and the tops of the meat/cheese mix a little crunchy. You do not want the meat mixture to get tough. The meat is cooked already, so you can taste test as you go as well.
  • Remove from oven when ready, and serve with sides of ketchup or bbq sauce depending on your preference.