Comfort Food: Cheesy Beef and Macaroni Casserole
I love a good pasta dish! There are just so many things you can make with pasta, the possibilities are endless! And casseroles are a great, cost-effective way to feed the family. This particular recipe is not only very tasty, but it fills a large casserole dish which means there will be leftovers. Depending on how many people you are serving and how much they eat, there could be enough left over for another dinner for everyone. This recipe is definitely good as is, but you can certainly play around with it a little by adding different vegetables, like zucchini or carrots, or trying other cheeses with it (perhaps mozzarella).
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs of lean ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes (I used diced)
1 can tomato paste
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can sliced mushrooms (or 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms)
2 cups macaroni
1 ½ tsp. oregano
1 ½ tsp. basil
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. coriander
¼ tsp. cumin
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups grated old cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Brown and drain the beef. Sauté onions, garlic and green pepper until tender crisp. Mix with beef. Put mixture in a large pot and stir in cream of mushroom soup, sliced mushrooms, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Cook macaroni noodles and drain. Mix everything together (except cheeses) and put it all in a casserole dish (I use a 9x13 inch dish). Top with parmesan cheese, then the cheddar.
Bake at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and a bit brown.
