Another casserole part of our Vintage Casserole series. This one is circa 1970 and was discovered by my mom’s mom, Colleen, which also makes this a Colleen Mott Approved recipe. This means that both my mom and I grew up on this meal. We have NO idea where grandma got this recipe from. Have you had it or made it before?
This is one of the first meals my mom cooked for my dad when they were Newlyweds. She bought a can of olives with pits and tossed them in whole. My dad almost broke a tooth. OOPS!
I have tried to adapt this recipe to be more modern, as I have with other vintage casseroles. However, all the adaptations I have tried take away too much from the flavor. The most possible change you could make is to use 1 cup frozen corn, slightly chopped, in place of the can of creamed corn. It won’t change the flavors too much, but it does make it a little drier, and not as saucy. We won’t often suggest you use canned, processed ingredients, but in this case we recommend it.
Start by cooking the pasta according to the package. The original calls for egg noodles. I have used a wide range of pastas in this recipe. Bow tie, small shells, penne, cavatappi, large macaroni, fusilli and gemelli. Drain your choice of pasta and set aside.
In a medium pot or large frying pan, brown the ground meat till mostly cooked. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Add in the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Next add in the cans of tomato soup, tomato sauce, creamed corn and olives.
Next add in the Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and cayenne. Not all cayenne is created equal. Mine is very strong. I only add a shake or two to give the sauce a little heat. This dish is NOT meant to be spicy. Only add enough cayenne enhance the other flavors, but not overwhelm.
Fold in the cooked, drained pasta. Now fold in ONE cup of the shredded cheese.
Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with oil. Pour the pasta mix into the dish and spread evenly. Cover with the rest of the cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I always serve it with some warm crusty bread or garlic bread and a good salad.
Italian Delight
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked pasta,
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, or one clove
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1 can creamed corn
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 can black olives, slice in half no pits
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2-4 shakes cayenne ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package. The original recipe calls for egg noodles. I choose a shorter, thicker pasta like Cavatappi, Fusilli, Penne or Gemelli.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Brown the ground meat. When it is mostly browned add in salt and pepper to taste. And add the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Continue to cook on the stove top, stirring till the meat is all browned, and the veggies are tender.
- Add in the tomato soup, tomato sauce, creamed corn and olives. The original recipe says to put the olives in whole. I always slice them in half.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and paprika. Shake a tiny bit of Cayenne in to taste. My cayenne is very hot, so I just do a shake or two for a little heat.
- Fold in the cooked, drained pasta.
- Next fold in ONE cup of the cheese.
- Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish by lightly spraying with oil. Pour the pasta into the dish, and evenly spread out. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.