Halloween Spaghetti Casserole
Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 1:00AM 
I don’t know about your house on Halloween night, but ours is hectic, especially this year with it falling on a Monday! This means by the time we get home from school, changed into costumes, go through the usual hysterics of two excited boys, then settle down for photographs before venturing into the jack o’ lantern-lit streets, there’s no time for preparing dinner. So I dug out a tried-and-true baked spaghetti casserole recipe that can be made on either Saturday or Sunday and then pulled from the fridge and reheated about an hour before serving.
It’s funny how memories work, but Andrew’s cousin Chipper sent him an email a few days ago asking if he remembered how Gramma Hunter used to make her baked spaghetti casserole. While this recipe isn’t hers, it is in her spirit that we offer this version to you. Gramma Hunter loved all holidays, mostly because the whole family would come to her house for food and fun.
Ben and Nick have planned, decided on and changed their plans several times since costume talk started in August. I won’t be surprised if they end up going as homemade goblins due to some last moment change of plans. One thing’s for certain though, Halloween is as popular as it was when we were kids! Happy Halloween!
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Halloween Spaghetti Casserole
1 pound spaghetti
2 pounds ground beef or turkey
2 (26-ounce) jars of spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef or turkey in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the spaghetti sauce and cook for a few minutes until hot.
Drain the cooked pasta and combine in a large bowl with the sauce. Mix and scrape into a 13- X 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheeses and bake for 20 minutes.
Note: Feel free to stir in additional ingredients to suit your taste, such as chopped black olives, basil or crushed red pepper. If you’re preparing the casserole in advance, follow the recipe as above, but cool the pasta and sauce before combining. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate. Reheat in a 375°F oven for 60 minutes.
Makes 8 servings
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