2 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (I didn't use, and doubled the onion to make up for it)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used flat leaf)
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I used Lawrys)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 small bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used elk)
House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
NOTE: I didn't make the House Seasoning, I just used the approximate equivalents of each of the three ingredients separately. I figure I'll have to tweak the seasoning at the end anyway!
ALSO, I'm not sure why she (it's a Paula Deen recipe) used 2 c of each kind of tomatoes, when canned ones are usually 14 1/2 or 15 oz. I just used a 15 oz can of diced, and a 15 oz can of sauce.
If you want to make the baked spaghetti dish, head over to the original recipe - OR basically you cook 8 oz of pasta, drain, and layer 1/2 in a 13x9 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Add a little less than 1/2 of a combination of 1 c shredded cheddar and 1 c shredded Monterey Jack. Repeat the past and cheese, the top with the sauce. Bake 30 min at 350, then add the remaining cheese. Cook 5 more min or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
RATING: 3 1/2 - but it could be a 4!
The only thing keeping this from being a 4 is that it was way too salty. I added about 1 tsp of agave to the sauce before I served it which helped, but it was still a bit on the salty side, especially with parmesan. The recipe doesn't specify no-salt-added tomatoes, but that's one option for reducing the saltiness. Another would be to leave out the salt from the "homemade seasoning". We really liked it, though - my husband came in after he finished his (we didn't eat together because Duke was playing in the Final 4 and, well, let's just say it's best if he watches that alone (and texts the kids). :)