Til Payday Casserole


3.8 of 5 (25)
member ratings
Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 10
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 268.9
  • Total Fat: 9.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 33.7 mg
  • Sodium: 145.6 mg
  • Total Carbs: 28.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g
  • Protein: 18.4 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Til Payday Casserole calories by ingredient


Introduction

whenever money was tight and it was close to payday, but she had no money, my mother would make this old standard. It would last for a few meals, it was warm and comforting, you could feel the love in every bite. whenever money was tight and it was close to payday, but she had no money, my mother would make this old standard. It would last for a few meals, it was warm and comforting, you could feel the love in every bite.
Number of Servings: 10

Ingredients

    96% or greater lean ground beef, 1lb. ( I use Laura's organic)
    3 small cans of low sodium or no sodium tomato sauce, try to make sure it has no added sugar.
    8oz pkg of 2%, 1% or fat-free cheddar cheese or part-skim mozza.
    1 reg sized box of whole wheat/plus pasta ( I use Barilla Plus Penne)
    1tbsp of lowfat margerine or unsalted butter(which ever one you are watching)
    paprika
    cayenne
    oregano
    basil
    rosemary
    savory
    black pepper
    garlic
    onion

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a good sized pan, boil the water for the pasta, once boiling add pasta.
While pasta is cooking to desired tenderness, brown the seaspned ground beef in a skillet, (I use a small amount of the same seasonings that I am going to put in my sauce.)
In a third med-sized pot, add tomato sauce, margerine, about 1/8 cup of water, seasonings, onion, and garlic, cover and allow to simmer.
Drain pasta and rinse, then place it in a lrg casserole dish.
When meat is brown add it to the pasta.
Add the sauce after it has simmered at least 15mins.
Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.
Cover with cheese
Place in oven and cook until cheese is golden brown.

If you are organized, cooking in a familiar kitchen and cleaning as you go, this dish will not take the full fifteen minute prep time. It takes me maybe 5mins to get everything cooking, then once cooked it takes a couple of mins. to mix and cover with the cheese. Since everything is done when it goes into the oven you can also cook it at a higher temp.

Serves 10
Size should be no more than a big serving spoon full. I make this in a lrg pyrex casserole dish. I pre-cut it into 10 servings, then take one.

Number of Servings: 10

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user THECAT39.

Member Ratings For This Recipe


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    Incredible!
    10 of 10 people found this review helpful
    I've been experimenting with this one for a while now. Many yummy variations! Go heavy on the cayanne, paprika, orageno and cheddar (adding some pepper flakes) and you have Til Payday Fiesta! Focus on the oregano, basil and garlic, using mozzarella and you have Til Italian Payday! - 4/5/10


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    7 of 7 people found this review helpful
    Tastes wonderful.Easy to make and on the budget. - 11/16/08


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    6 of 6 people found this review helpful
    I've been making a version of this ever since I began cooking. I never used whole wheat pasta though. I'll have to try it. I also use Minute Rice instead of pasta to make it more TexMex style. You can also add a can of vegetables, either green peas or corn and have a complete dish. - 9/14/10


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    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    I made this for years, originally from Betty Crocker called "Texas Hash" with chili powder and onion, no precooking the pasta. Once I put too much chili in it and my hungry children scarfed it down, not saying a word, but with tears running down their faces until I realized what happened. - 9/14/10


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    Incredible!
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    Love this!! We used 1/2 tomato sauce and 1/2 diced tomatoes. - 8/19/10