Mrs. Geraldine's Ground Beef Casserole

From: Seasoned Cook

On Nov 2, 2009

I found that the mushroom soup did not enhance this dish. I used macaroni noodles in lieu of the thin spaghetti noodles. This recipe makes a lot of servings and leftovers warm up well. Prepared as a participant in the One Dish Casserole Event in the Cooking Photo Forum November 2009.

From: mizhort

On Sep 15, 2009

I've recently discovered the oamc style of cooking and made this recipe. I had just come from the warehouse store and had a package of 5.5 lbs of ground beef. I browned and drained that and then I put it aside. I then chopped up 1 large bell pepper, 4 ribs of celery, 2 med size onions and 2 good sized zuchini. I sauted the celery, onion and bell pepper together with a couple of tb of margerine for about 5 minutes. I then added the zuchini and 2 tb of chopped garlic and cooked for another couple of minutes. I then added the ground beef, 4-14.5 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 28 oz can of tomatoe sauce. I left off the mushrooms and used 8 tb worcestershire and 4 tb of brown sugar (sounds like a lot but really isn't as I was making 4 casseroles) I simmered all for a full hour. To assemble, I laid out 4 casserole pans, in each I added approximately 6 ounces of cooked spaghetti (broken into 3rds prior to cooking). I then spread cream of mushroom soup on top (for 4 casseroles, I used 3- 26 oz cans which is almost twice the amount suggested in the basic recipe). I topped with the ground beef sauce and stirred all together to meld the flavors. I topped with sharp cheddar and then froze. To cook, I defrost a day or two in the fridge and bake covered in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. I remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to brown the cheese. My family absolutely loves this dish, the first time my husband ate it, he had 3 helpings. Note, as I have young children, I don't add anything more than some kosher salt and a little black pepper during the cooking of the sauce. If I were making this for something like a potlock dinner, I would add some red pepper flakes to spice it up a little, though in my opinion it is plenty good without it as well.

From: Michelle S.

On Aug 12, 2004

Now I know what all the fuss is about! This is total comfort food. My DH inhaled 2 large plate fulls and I was ordered to amke this again. I read all the reviews and from them I took this with me before preparing it. I broke the pasta into thirds before cooking them. I used brown sugar instead of pickle juice. I left out the mushrooms (so the kids would eat it) and after I had all but the cheese layered, I took a spatula and gently went into the noodles so some sauce would seep down. The results were fantastic! Another must try Zaar recipe!

From: BrendaM

On May 5, 2004

Thank you Jellyqueen and Mrs. Geraldine! This was a wonderful casserole. I used a bit more ground beef.. probably about a pound and a half. Also, I didn't have any angel hair pasta so I used spaghetti. My can of tomatoes was 28 ounces, but it all worked out very well. The only other thing I did differently was to add a bit of fresh garlic when I was browning the meat! The end result was absolutely delicious and I'll certainly be making it again!