Spaghetti Casserole

This is just one of those quick meals that I ate a lot growing up and that got me through many a weeks in college when I only had about $5 in my bank account. It has a special place in my heart ;-) It's also really yummy and perfect for a rainy day like today! I vegged it up a bit, of course, adding mushrooms and green olives to the usual recipe and used veggie crumbles instead of beef. It doesn't photograph too well, but it tastes good!

Ingredients:
1 package spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup (NL: Unox geconcentreerd champignon crèmesoep)
1 cup plain tomato sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 bell pepper, red or green, diced
1 box mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/3 cup chopped green olives
200g Vegetarian crumbles (I used Alpro Soya Bio fijngehakt )
5 oz. (150g) cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Seasoned salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
5-6 dashes Tabasco sauce, plus more for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°C (200°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until just before al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the bell pepper and cook another minute or two. Add the crumbles and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have softened. Add the green olives, soup and tomato sauce along with the seasonings and stir until well incorporated. Mix in 1 cup of the grated cheddar.

When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot. Pour in the veggie mixture and toss to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheddar cheese. Bake about 25-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with Tabasco sauce.


Spaghetti Casserole