SPASAGNA---(SPAGHETTI--LASAGNA)

                                    

This is a dish our family created---a cross between spaghetti and lasagna, thus the name.  It’s really good so I hope you’ll try it.

Ingredients:

1 and ½  pounds ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

½ large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large can of Hunt’s tomato sauce (use more if needed)

1 small can of diced tomatoes

3 T. sugar

½ t. salt

Fresh Basil

Fresh Parsley

Cannelloni or Manicotti (or Jumbo Shells) pasta

Ricotta Cheese

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese (not the powdered kind)

Instructions:

*Brown ground beef with onion and bell pepper.  Rinse with hot water.

*Place ground beef mixture, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, basil and parsley in a saucepan and heat throughout.

*Cook pasta (undercook just a bit) in salted water with a splash of olive oil:  This recipe is for a square pyrex baking dish, so you may not need the entire box of pasta for this recipe.  Just cook half the box and then you can cook more if needed.

When pasta is al dente, remove from the pasta water and allow to cool and dry.

*Spray a square pyrex dish with PAM.

*Spread a large spoonful of tomato sauce mixture onto the bottom surface of the baking dish.

*Using a small spoon, fill each pasta tube or shell with ricotta cheese and place side by side in the baking dish.  Fill the entire bottom surface (it’s ok to overlap).

*Pour the rest of the tomato sauce mixture over the stuffed pasta.

*Mix cheeses together and spread over the top surface of the tomato sauce mixture.

*Bake at 350 degrees until it is hot and bubbly throughout.  Tent with aluminum foil if cheese becomes too brown.

Voila’---Spasagna!!