TRAVELING KNITS

Spaghetti Casserole

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 pound ground beef round

1/2 pound bulk sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion (from

1 small onion)

Several cloves garlic, peeled and

cut into slices

1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of

mushroom soup

24 – 32 ounces of your favorite

tomato-based pasta sauce

2 cups pre-shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

4 cups cooked spaghetti (8 ounces uncooked)

2 tablespoons pre-shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried sweet basil

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef and sausage, add the onion and the garlic. Cook, stirring and breaking up the lumps of meat, until the beef is brown all over and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the beef to a large mixing bowl. If there is a lot of fat in the pan, drain the mixture in a strainer before transferring it. Add the mushroom soup, pasta sauce, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, the cooked spaghetti, red peper flakes, basil and stir to mix. Transfer the spaghetti to a 9-by-13-inch (3 quart) glass or ceramic baking dish and sprinkle all but 1 tablespoon of the Cheddar and 1 tablespoon Parmesan over the top

Bake the spaghetti until it bubbles throughout and the cheese has melted, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle on the remaining tablespoon of each cheese and serve at once.

Serves 8