Paula Deen is such a great ambassador for the South. But. She lays on that accent a little too thick sometimes and God help me with the cackling. No matter. If she says a recipe is good, you can take it to the bank.
This spaghetti is her recipe, and one of the most popular ones I’ve ever shared on Food.com. Tons of reviews. It is really juicy and you will be tempted to increase the pasta, but don’t do it! It makes it too dry, upsets the balance of goodness or something. Trust me, the best way to make this dish is just to do it exactly as Paula says. If you want to take a short cut by using jarred marinara, I understand the inclination; but you are shortchanging yourself. Delish with a salad and hunk of french bread. If you’re real naughty, splurge on that fancy Irish butter in your fancy grocery store and slather it on the bread. Heaven.
Baked Spaghetti by Paula Deen
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 small bay leaves
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
- House Seasoning (use 1 1/2 tsp)
- 1 cup salt
- 1/4 cup black pepper
- 1/4 cup garlic powder
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, sugar, and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and let simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
- Crumble the ground beef in a large skillet.
- Cook over medium-high heat until fully cooked, with no pink color remaining.
- Drain the fat from the meat, and then add the ground beef to the stockpot.
- Simmer for 20 more minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Cover the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan with sauce.
- Add a layer of pasta and then a little less than 1/2 of each cheese; repeat the layers, ending with the sauce.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, return it to the oven, and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 more minutes.
- Cut into squares before serving.
- House Seasoning: Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
barenakedchefsaidso.com 
That was an excellent post today. Thanks so much for sharing it. I really enjoyed reading it very much. I’ll be sure to pass it along.
Have a great day.
Easy Lifestyles – Lifestyle Resources