So I have been experimenting with this silly little dish

[Floogeldy]

It's kind of like a cross between spaghetti with meat sauce and goulash.

1/4 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
salt
pepper
paprika
chopped garlic
2-3 servings spaghetti
3/4 bottle spaghetti sauce
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Put the ground beef, onion, green pepper, salt, pepper, garlic and paprika in skillet. Cook till browned. Cook spaghetti in boiling water, until al dente. Add cooked spaghetti and spaghetti sauce to ground beef. Stir. Simmer until hot. Add shredded cheddar cheese on top. Cover. Simmer until cheese melted, and then some.

This is a dish that could get all the way to a man's heart, with bread and salad.

But I have not perfected it and welcome your suggestions.

Thanks,

Floog

B-)

[eleny]

1. I would never have considered cheddar

And it tasted great, huh?

I often add the pasta to the sauce and let the pasta absorb the sauce a little. But cheddar... hmmmm. I'm going to have to try making a real small serving to try it out. The green pepper always speaks up in a recipe. So maybe that's what harmonizes with the cheese. I'm intrigued!

[Stinky The Clown]

2. My mother made a similar concoction

It had rice in place of macaroni (cuz we're Italian and macaroni and cheddar are as incompatible as cheese on a macaroni dish with fish in it). :)

The beef browning process was real similar to what you describe. She had a few more herbs in hers, but that was because she used a less complete sauce. In place of your jarred skettie sauce she used canned tomato sauce (like Hunt's or whatever). The cooked rice then got added.

Mix

Dump into Corningwear casserole dish (with cool 1960s style atomic design in that Corning electric blue color). Top with sliced neon yellow American cheese (or if we were feeling rich that day, honest to God cheddar) and pop, uncovered, into the oven

Bake only enough time to melt the cheese. I liked it when it went a bit further and the cheese got real dark (almost black) and had big blisters on top. Crunchy good!

She called this by the extraordinarily creative name: "Five Spice Beef and Rice Casserole".

I wrote this sarcastically, but it was really good and a fond memory of Mom's love in giving her family wholesome, hearty food cooked with heart and soul.

Thanks Mom! I love you. :hug:

[Lisa0825]

3. I doubt this was authentic, but my mom made goulash with...

crumbled bacon and celery seed, in addition to the garlic and paprika. It's still one of my favorite comfort foods:-) Only I MUST have it with little shells! :loveya:

[Warpy]

4. Add oregano or basil to the sauce (or both, even)

plus a teaspoon of prepared curry powder. The latter makes first day spaghetti sauce taste as good as second day spaghetti sauce (really!) and nobody will be able to figure out what you did.

[eleny]

5. Seriously?

Curry powder???? That's as wild as my Italian mom in law who always put soy sauce in her tomato sauce. And that is wonderful! I have to try this curry powder tip.

[Floogeldy]

6. Muchas, muchas gracias!

B-)