Every family has a signature dish, and this one belongs to the Lovitt family. Sandy’s other half, Michael, grew up on this dish, and to this day his mom makes it for him whenever he goes home to visit. In fact, Michael’s mom, Jayne, has been making this dish ever since she was newly wed to her husband, Mike. The story goes that when Jayne and Mike were first married, they spent a lot of time with another couple in the neighborhood (we’ll call them “Bob and Sally”). Jayne, Mike, Bob, and Sally would get together on a regular basis and play cards. Eventually, they decided that they would start making dinner for each other, too. This tradition didn’t last long before Bob called and said they could no longer participate in the dinner parties. When Jayne asked if everything was okay, Bob said that Sally was very upset because there was no way she could ever compete with Jayne’s baked spaghetti. They haven’t spoken in thirty years!

　　

Ingredients

makes 10 servings

　　1 (16-ounce) package angel hair pasta

　　Cooking spray

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　1 cup chopped onion

　　1 cup chopped celery

　　1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

　　1 (4-ounce) can sliced button mushrooms, drained

　　1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

　　2 teaspoons dried oregano

　　8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

　　1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, or 1 1/2 cups homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup (page 203)

　　1/4 cup whole milk

　　1/4 ounce grated Parmesan cheese

　　

Step 1

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

　　

Step 3

In a large sauté pan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and oregano. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 4

In the prepared casserole dish, layer half of the pasta, half of the sauce, and half of the Cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients.

　　

Step 5

Combine the soup and milk, stirring until smooth, and pour over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the pasta is bubbling around the edges.

　　

variation

Step 6

A simple way to enrich this dish is to add beef. Season 1 pound of ground beef with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and brown it in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the sauce while it simmers so that the flavors have time to marry.

　　

note

Step 7

Vegetarian friendly!

　　From The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock. Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock; Food photographs copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, the Casserole Queens, have been delivering casseroles in Austin, Texas, since 2006; they also teach cooking classes at Whole Foods stores in the area. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM, as well as on television news and radio talk shows.