Creamy Spaghetti Casserole Recipe and our #CleanPlate Dinner

Disclosure: Compensation for this Creamy Spaghetti Casserole Recipe was provided by Contadina via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Contadina

My husband’s all time favorite meal is lasagna and do you know how often I make it for him? Once a year. Why? Because I have an intense dislike of layering things with lasagna noodles. Trying to get them to cook properly is hard enough…they always seem to stick together and I end up burning my fingers trying to separate them. Then I start layering them with the cheese and I start tearing them and getting sauce everywhere. I am a pretty good cook but honestly I HATE making lasagna. Of course, the husband asks….some weeks BEGS me to make him his favorite meal. Talk about guilt! Yes, I could teach him how to make lasagna but that is probably never going to happen. When I came across a spaghetti casserole recipe I decided to try to modify it a bit to mimic his favorite lasagna. All the flavor with a lot less work!

We love our tomato sauce chunky with lots of fresh veggies in it. To begin this casserole recipe I started with fresh peppers and onions, organic ground beef and a few cans of Contadina tomato sauce and tomato paste. The resulting sauce was hearty and flavorful. Add in seasonings to taste. I used dried oregano and basil from my garden and some garlic salt. If you have picky eaters who don’t like chunks of veggies you can cook them up and puree them into the sauce. It is a great way to get kids to eat vegetables without them even realize they are doing it!

One of the things I really love about this casserole recipe is that it makes a huge pan and there are plenty of leftovers. I love leftovers because honestly I am too lazy to have to cook a big meal every night. Not to mention that some nights I need to work and am not home to cook. While my husband can feed the kids when he needs to, the last thing he wants to deal with after a long day at work is making dinner. He appreciates leftover nights just as much as I do! I hope you enjoy this casserole recipe and see plenty of clean plates when dinner is over!

Creamy Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

Yield: 8 to 10

Creamy Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

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An easy casserole recipe full of fresh flavor and easy to make.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat pasta (I used shells)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 (15 ounce) cans Contadina tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can Contadina tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 16 ounces shredded Italian cheese (divided)
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (15 ounce) container of ricotta cheese

Instructions

2. Cook pasta according to package directions
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
4. In a large saute pan brown the ground beef until almost done. Drain fat if needed. Add chopped onion and bell pepper. saute 3 to 4 minutes. Add Contadina sauce and paste, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Let simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
5. When pasta is done cooking, drain and place in a large bowl. Add the sour cream, ricotta cheese and 8 ounces of the shredded Italian cheese. Mix well until combined.
6. In a 13 x 9 inch pan place a layer of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of pasta/cheese. Continue layering until they are both gone.
7. Sprinkle remaining 8 ounces of Italian cheese on top of the casserole and place in oven.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and top is lightly brown. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 3328Total Fat: 259gSaturated Fat: 140gCholesterol: 827mgSodium: 7242mgCarbohydrates: 21gSugar: 10gProtein: 261g

I bet I’m not the only one who loves an easy casserole recipe and they are usually a big hit with the kids. When the kids are happy with dinner that means I see lots of clean plates without a lot of arguing! A clean plate is the sign of a truly delicious meal and when it comes from serving fresh, wholesome foods to my family I am even happier. If you want to see a few more clean plate inspiring recipes, check out the Contadina Pinterest board below!

Every mealtime masterpiece starts with Contadina and ends with a clean plate. While many people enjoy posting photos of their food before they eat, we believe that a clean plate afterwards is the true testament to a delicious meal. And that meal is a labor of love, so share your gratitude with a clean plate celebration on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Contadina

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Contadina via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Contadina

Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy.  She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.

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