Casserole Italiano

Casserole Italiano

clipped from the AZ Republic
submitted by Rose DePalma

1/2 C chopped onion

1/2 C chopped green bell pepper
1/2 C butter
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
2 T Worcestershire sauce
8-oz package elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
1 can (3 oz) button mushrooms, drained
1 can (8.75 oz) tomato soup, undiluted
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter over medium heat until tender. Add ground beef, cooking until brown. Add salt, pepper, oregano and Worcestershire sauce. In a 2 1/2-quart casserole, combine cooked macaroni, ground beef mixture, mushrooms, soup and chopped tomato.

Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle cheese on top and bake 5 minutes more, or until cheese is melted and brown.

Makes 4-6 servings.

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Notes: I did not use mushrooms. We don't like them. Ewww... fungi!  I also did not cover this while baking... only because I didn't read the directions completely! oops. It was crunchier because of that and next time I will definitely cover it. But it did not ruin the dinner. I also used whole-grain pasta and I used a 16-oz box of pasta. Again, because I didn't follow the directions carefully! oops again. I can't imagine this meal with less pasta... I think it actually needed the extra noodles. We had enough for 8 people... with several of those having multiple servings.

Verdict: Everyone, except for Kaleigh, gave this enthusiastic thumbs up! Sydney, who is extremely picky, had three servings!! Keegan devoured probably half of the casserole just by himself. We have a favorite dinner... called Corny Mac and Beef from our good friends in Washington... (thanks Marie!)... and we all agree this is a variation of that recipe. We like them both... so we'll just add this one to our collection of keepers!!