Mushroom Mania Marzetti for Mom

Submitted by KateL

"Tasty, yet simple, and easy to digest, this is my elderly Mom's favorite casserole. I adapted it from Johnny Marzetti in Jean Anderson's "The American Century Cookbook". My Mom asked me to double the mushrooms; the baby Portabella mushrooms available at Costo or Sam's are a hit in this casserole. Use low-sodium tomato sauce and Cabot's cheese to reduce the amount of sodium. Anyone else can slash my preparation time, I am "the slowest chopper in the Western Hemisphere.""

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 6 cups
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion (peeled and chopped)
• 3 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 3⁄4 lb baby portabella mushrooms (wiped clean and thinly sliced)
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef (or ground venison)
• 1 3⁄4 cups low-sodium tomato sauce
• 3⁄4 lb extra-sharp cheddar cheese (Cabot brand preferred, coarsely shredded)
• 1⁄2 lb bow tie pasta (or elbow macaroni)

directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the farfalle (aka bow ties) into the pot, cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Lightly grease 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish (or two 8x8-inch pans) and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a very large heavy skillet over moderate heat 1 minute.
5. Add onion and garlic. Stir-fry until limp, about 3 minutes.
6. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until juices are released and evaporate, about 5 minutes.
7. Add beef and cook and stir, breaking up clumps, until no longer red, about 5 minutes.
8. I usually drain the beef mixture in a fine mesh colander due to the volume of high water content onions and mushrooms.
9. Off heat, mix in tomato sauce and all but 1 cup cheese.
10. Transfer to baking dish, add bow ties, and toss gently but thoroughly to mix.
11. Scatter remaining 1 cup cheese on top. (Add grated parmesan cheese if more is needed.).
12. Bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbling, 35-40 minutes, and serve.

Reviews

[MarraMamba]

yummy, fast, easy and comforting. Tasted wonderful too. I used ground venison for the meat.

 

[wicked cook 46]

I will be honest at first I thought this was going to be bland since there are no spices or herbs but resisted the urge to add anything except fresh cracked pepper. WELL as I was trying to take photos my DH took the first bite and he groaned with joy. I used ground turkey and elbow macaroni. It does make alot so we have tons leftover LOL. I used a combo of old and mild cheddar and some asiago on top. Very tasty and a great meal when you are serving people who don't like alot of spices . I served it with garlic bread and a simple tomatoe and mozzarella salad. Will make again. Made for PAC spring 2009

 

[Hollylu]

Very good comfort food! We liked it a lot.

 

[Andi Longmeadow Farm]

Super easy dish to put together, and just as tasty as a pie sitting in a window sill. I stayed true to the recipe and it turned into perfection. Just for the ease of cooking, I browned the meat first (using no oil), just a searing hot pan and the fat produced by the lean meat. Removed meat after cooking, swished a bit of hot water (1-2 tablespoons) into the hot pan to produce a au jus from the bits, then added the chopped onion, the garlic, and finally the mushrooms. Cooked until softened. Placed ground beef, vegetables, cooked pasta, and cheese into casserole dish. In the same pan, I then warmed the tomato sauce, that included some chunks of tomato, and when warm put that onto the casserole mixing a bit until all looked divine. Added extra cheese to top, a couple of extra mushrooms and put right into the oven. Lickity Split, done! Thank you Kate for a great dish, one that sticks to your ribs and calls everybody and their neighbor into dinner. Made for *Potluck* Tag Game, Fall 2008.

 

[GaylaV]

We enjoyed this recipe. It does make a large quantity. My little store didn't have portabella's so had to do with buttons. 3/4 pound of shredded cheddar is a lot! When I added it to the sauce I thought it was too thick so I added another cup of tomato sauce. In the end as the cheese melts I think it may have been fine without the extra sauce. The cheese on top is quite yummy. I think this could easily made up to the oven part, the day before. It would be nice to come home from work and have this cooking in the oven with no effort. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Made for PRMR.