Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti

This was a house favorite.  Originally from Paula Dean, I think I catered 1000's of pans of this dish!  It freezes well too. I like to bake it before freezing

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons Tones Spicy Spaghetti seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
2   cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 !/2  cup grated cheddar cheese
1 !/2  cup Monterey Jack cheese
2   small bay leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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.