Baked Spaghetti!

Last night for supper we had an old favorite: Baked Spaghetti. A former neighbor first made it for us YEARS ago, when we first met, and made it again for us when I first had Regan (okay, I actually requested it when I had Regan). It's a lot like lasagna, but without all the prep work.  I scoured the Internet for a similar recipe, which is the following. The recipe is from www.allrecipes.com, and of course, I "tweaked" it when I made it last night.

Baked Spaghetti (aka: Spaghetti Pie)

6-ounces spaghetti (I used whole grain)

2 Tbl. butter

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

6-ounce can tomato paste

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook and drain spaghetti.  Stir in butter, Parmesan and eggs, while pasta is still hot.  Form spaghetti mixture into a crust in the bottom of a buttered baking dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic.  Drain off the fat and stir in the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and oregano.  Heat through.  Spread cottage cheese over the spaghetti crust, then pour in the beef and tomato mixture.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the "pie" and bake another 5-10 minutes longer, until cheese melts.

*Well, I skipped a few steps (and ingredients) by using jarred sauce, without meat.

I rounded out the meal with a tossed salad and a cute little multigrain bread I found at the supermarket (on the day-old baked goods rack - score!).