About
The Carol Burnett Show™ on a black-and-white tv, a cold soda in a glass bottle, and your grandma's famous meal... all are a blast from the past that you will always love! The feel-good and tasty Ultimate Nostalgia Casserole brings back the warmness associated with a trip to grandma's, and with one bite, you jump back in time! When pasta, ground hamburger, and veggies are held together with a sentimentally seasoned tomato sauce and topped with all that melted cheese, it's definitely the food-hug from granny that we've been longing for. Our emotional attachment to food and good times is found again with Ultimate Nostalgia Casserole. Sit down, grab yourself a plateful, and visit for a spell. Don't you just miss the good ole days?!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (14-ounce) jar pasta sauce
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, lightly drained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar and mozzarella pizza-blend cheese, shredded
- fresh basil leaves, to taste, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 -Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Step 3 -In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the rotini to al dente, according to the package directions. During the last minute of cooking, add the mixed vegetables.
Step 4 -Drain the water from the pasta-veggie mixture.
Step 5 -In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and the onion and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain the excess grease.
Step 6 -Add the oregano, the basil, the garlic powder, the salt, and the black pepper to the cooked beef and stir to combine.
Step 7 -Add the pasta sauce, the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste, and the Worcestershire sauce to the beef mixture and simmer, stirring frequently, until it has thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 8 -In a large bowl, add the sauce and the cooked pasta-veggie mixture and stir to combine.
Step 9 -Pour the casserole mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese.
Step 10 -Bake the casserole until it is just heated through and the cheese has melted, about 15-18 minutes.
Step 11 -Serve the casserole garnished with the fresh basil.
