"That's Amore" Baked Spaghetti

In my quest to cook an Italian Valentine's Day meal for my hubby with limited supplies on hand, a sick kid keeping me house bound, and a very hectic Monday planned for tomorrow, I did a web search and found this recipe at fullbellies.blogspot.com. I made a few modifications and voila, I had an early Valentine's Day meal ready and waiting when Matt came home from church today. He gave it two thumbs up (and the kiddos agreed), so I thought I'd share my new find with you!

1 1b. box spaghetti noodles, cooked (I like Barilla)

2-(24.5-oz.) jars spaghetti sauce (I like Hunt's Meat Sauce)

2 lbs. ground beef, browned

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. salt

pepper to taste

12-oz. can evaporated milk (I also had to add about 1/4 cup of regular milk to get it creamier)

2 c. bag of shredded Italian blend cheese, divided


Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat; add flour, , salt and pepper, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Add evaporated milk and one cup shredded cheese; stir until thickened. (may need to add a little regular milk if it gets too thick ... I did!)

Butter a 13"x9" casserole dish. Cover bottom of dish with spaghetti sauce. Put half of the cooked noodles evenly in dish. Pour the cheese mixture over top. Top with ground meat. Pour spaghetti sauce over meat. Top with remaining noodles. Pour spaghetti sauce over top. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serves 12.

Original recipe credit: Gooseberry Patch Cookbook, Virginia's Baked Spaghetti

Crescent Lasagna

Crescent Lasagna

Meat Filling:
½ pound sausage
½ pound ground round
3/4 cup chopped onion
½ clove garlic minced
1 T. parsley flakes
½ tsp. leaf basil
½ tsp. leaf oregano
½ tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 can tomato paste

Cheese Filling:
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Crust:
2 cans Refrigerated Crescent rolls
2 slices (7x4) Mozzarella cheese
1 T. Milk
1 T. Sesame seeds


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Meat filling - In a large skillet, brown meat; drain. Add onion, garlic, parsley, seasonings and tomato paste. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. (Meat mixture may be made ahead and refrigerated).
Cheese filling - Combine all the ingredients.
Crust - Unroll crescent dough and separate into 8 rectangles. On ungreased cookie sheet, place dough rectangles together overlapping edges (about 15x13 in rectangle). Press edges and perforations to seal. Spread half of meat
filling lengthwise down center half of dough to within 1 inch of each 13 inches. Top meat filling with cheese filling;
spoon remaining meat filling over top, forming 3 layers. Place cheese slices over meat filling. Fold 13 inch ends of
dough rectangle over filling, being careful to overlap edges only 1/4 inches. Pinch overlapped edges to seal.

Brush with milk; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until deep golden brown.

Tip: Lasagna may be prepared ahead, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 2 to 3 hours before baking.
Increase baking time to 25 - 30 minutes.


My friend Elizabeth Adams shared this recipe with me.