Not Really A Casserole

So I was thinking casserole when I started this recipe. My husband is very fond of a casserole. It was something his mother offered for dinner very often when he was growing up. I almost never had casseroles growing up, so this was something I needed to perfect in my cooking skills when we got married.

I started with making the meatballs. They were very easy to put together. They have a lot of spices, so they are also very flavorful. Cooking them in the shortening gives them a nice crunch on the outside, while they remain soft on the inside.

The sauce is a new one for me. I have never cooked noodles in sauce before today!

I do not use bouillon cubes, but use the Better Than Bouillon paste instead. I feel that it adds more flavor and less sodium than the cubes.

The sauce is very liquid when you start out. After the 45 minutes of cooking time, it does thicken up nicely. I think if I did this recipe again, I would cook the sauce on the lower end of the 30-45 minutes as the pasta itself came out a bit too soft. We prefer something a little more al dente, so the soft pasta was a bit of a disappointment. Knowing casseroles though, this is a pretty normal result of cooking everything together.

This recipe is called a casserole – again not sure where the casserole part comes in! But, the dish was good. It’s a very nice alternative to the plain old spaghetti and meatballs!

BEEF NOODLE CASSEROLE

3 Pounds Ground Beef

2 Eggs, Beaten

1 ½ Cups Uncooked Oats

1 Clove Garlic, Crushed

1 Medium Onion, Minced

1 ½ Teaspoons Basil

2 Teaspoons Oregano

2 Teaspoons Salt

½ Teaspoon Pepper

½ Cup Shortening

6 Cups Water

1 Can Tomato Soup

2 Cans Tomato Sauce

2 Beef Bouillon Cubes

1 Bay Leaf

10 Ounces Spaghetti Noodles

Combine ground beef, eggs, pats, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well; form into meatballs. Brown meatballs in hot shortening and set aside. Combine water, soup, sauce, bouillon, and bay leaf in a large Dutch oven. Add noodles and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve meatballs over the noodles.