Easy Cheesy Spaghetti Bake-Frugal Meal

Today instead of posting a frugal tip, I am posting this frugal meal.  This is an easy dish to put together, which along with a green salad and some garlic bread made of French Bread or Texas Toast picked up at the bread outlet store for $1.00 will make a dinner that is less than $1.00 per person.  While it might not qualify for a $5.00 dinner, it is still very frugal.

This can be a “pantry dinner” if there is already browned up ground beef or Italian Sausage in the freezer.  I usually use the Italian Sausage.  Bulk Italian Sausage sells for $2.29 a pound at a local grocery store, so is much cheaper than what ground beef sells for here.  I use ready-made spaghetti sauce which I can often purchase for $1.00 a jar and preshredded Italian Blend Cheese which I can also buy an 8 oz. package for $1.00 from time to time.  I do love making my own DIY Groceries as much as possible, but sometime saving money trumps “homemade".

This recipe originally came from Carnation Instant Dry Milk back when it was a real bargain.  Dry milk isn’t much of a bargain any more so I have adapted the recipe to not use it.

This is layered like a lasagna.  It can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated.  Bake an extra 15 to 20 minute.

Easy Cheesy Spaghetti Bake
1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage
1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
12 oz. spaghetti
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
3/4 c. milk
1 to 2 c. shredded cheese, mozzarella, Italian Blend, or Cheddar
1/3 c. grated Parmesan

Brown meat and drain.  Add spaghetti sauce.  Rinse jar with a little water and add to sauce.  Simmer 10 min., stirring often.  Bake spaghetti into thirds and cook as directed on package.  Drain.  Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring well.  Gradually add milk.  Cook until mixture begins to thicken.  Add 3/4 c. cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted.  Set aside.  Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Place a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom  Layer 1/2 spaghetti, 1/2  remaining meat sauce, all of cheese sauce, 1/2 spaghetti, 1/2 sauce.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 min.  Let stand 15 minutes before serving to firm up layers.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Linking to Ingredient Spotlight

1-Dish Meat Lovers' Pizza Bake

I  am so excited!  I managed to edit the HTML for this blog to add a button for PrintFriendly.  I have never done anything with HTML before.  Of course, it was just a copy and paste thing, but I feel so empowered.  It kind of makes up for my stubbed toe (see previous post.)

Now, if you want to print a post, you can just click the print/PDF button below the post.  It will bring up a page where you can delete the photos and any parts of the post you do not want.  You do need to be on the post's separate page, not on the home page.  (See a more thorough explanation here.)  You can then print or save it as a PDF.  Pretty cool, I think, and I use it all the time.

Fleischmann's Yeast has a web site call Breadworld.com.  They have a category there called 1-Dish that has 39 main dish and dessert recipes that can be made in less than an hour.  I often use recipes from there for our lunches.  I made this dish this week but used all Italian sausage.  The crust for this is more like a biscuit crust.  We prefer our crusts thin, so I halve the dough ingredients.  I make my own pizza sauce and have included the recipe below.  I used a 9-inch round pie pan instead of a square pan.

1-Dish Meat-Lovers' Pizza Bake
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 envelopes Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
2 t. sugar
1 t. salt
3/4 cup very warm water (120° - 130°F)
1/4 c. olive oil

Meat Filling
1/2 pound lean ground beef, cooked
1/2 pound Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1 can (8 ounces) pizza sauce

Toppings
12 to 18 pepperoni slices (about 1-inch diameter)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian Herb Blend

Mix dough ingredients together in a pre-sprayed 8x8-inch baking dish.  Stretch dough out to cover the bottom and sides of dish.  Combine meat filling ingredients and place on dough in pan.  Evenly distribute pepperoni slices over meat; sprinkle with cheese and herbs.  Bake by placing in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350 degrees; bake 30 minutes.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Pizza Sauce-supposed to be like Pizza Hut's
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried marjoram
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 t. sugar

Combine and let set for an hour to allow flavors to blend or place ingredients in a small saucepan and cook 10-15 minutes.


Linking to Full Plate Thursday and I'm Lovin' It
Ingredient Spotlight

Tomorrow:  Friday Finds and Frugal Tips