Revamping Recipes: Spaghetti Casserole

This week, just like last week, I was on a kick to make a more healthy meal.  The chili became boring after a while (I think because it had no meat and I’m a meat-loving gal), but I already had plans for another meatless recipe: Spaghetti Casserole.  This dish included many things I already had on hand and the rest of the ingredients were very inexpensive.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces uncooked spaghetti (I bought thin whole wheat spaghetti)
• 1 tablespoon butter (I use Country Crock)
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (I used grated)
• 1 jar (26 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups chopped green pepper
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 carton (8 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 can (8 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (I left these out)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (garlic powder is much easier for me because I have it on hand)
• 12 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (dried basil leaves will work fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

I started by adding the pasta to some boiling water.  Meanwhile, I chopped the vegetables.

In a large bowl, I mixed the jar of spaghetti sauce with…

…the green pepper…

…and the diced tomatoes.

Then I mixed it all together.

Next, I pureed the ricotta cheese in the blender (which I didn’t think made much of a difference).

Then I added it to the mixture.

Then added the onions.

Garlic powder.

Basil (I just eyeball these things because I don’t think a person can ever really add too much).

Oregano.

CHEESE!  My favorite part!

Then I mixed that all together really well.

When the pasta was done cooking, I drained it.  Then I added it to the mixture. I was supposed to add some butter to it as well as the parmesan cheese but I forgot.

So I added them here.

Then I tossed it all really well so the pasta was completely smothered with all the Italian goodness.

I buttered the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking dish (I forget to buy cooking spray).

Then I poured in the mixture.

Then topped it with cheese, covered, and slid it into the oven which had been preheated to 350 degrees.

40 minutes later (or 45 if it is not completely warm in the center) I had this.  Yum-o as Rachael Ray would say.

For the actual recipe from Taste of Home, you can view it here.

This dish will be sure to please my stomach all week long!  I would suggest adding a pound of ground turkey or beef, however, or maybe even some chicken pieces (all cooked before adding to the spaghetti mixture) because it just tastes like something is missing.  It’s definitely not bad by any means, but as a person who loves meat and expects meat in spaghetti, I noticed something was different and I’m sure it was the missing meat.  It’s such an easy fix that I could still add now if I wanted.  I love recipes that can be easily revamped, don’t you?