Sunday Dinner: Oscars-inspired baked “Spaghetti Western” casserole

Since it’s Oscars night, plan dinner and a movie with the family! Baked “Spaghetti Western” casserole is a great pick for dinner and is sure to be nominated as a favorite!

Western-style fun

Depending on the age of your family members, there’s sure to be a Spaghetti Western-themed movie (get it?) you can enjoy together. From this year’s nominated Rango to An American Tail: Fievel Goes West to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, get the kids involved to help decide what movie to watch together.

Wrangle up some decorations

To make your mealtime even more special and to keep with the theme, decorate the table area with some Western-inspired items. Bandanas are a good place to start and are fairly inexpensive. Buy enough for each member of the family, wash them and use them as napkins. You can also pick some inexpensive straw cowboy hats from a party store — one for each family member — and wear them to your table. You get the idea! Be as creative as you’d like with the help of the entire family!

Baked Spaghetti Western casserole recipe

Serve your casserole with a green salad or steamed veggies for a great meal!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes with liquid, diced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
• 12 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet, sauté onion and green pepper in the butter until it’s tender. Add the tomatoes, oregano and ground beef. Mix together well and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
3. When the ground beef mixture is finished cooking, add the cooked spaghetti and mix together well.
4. Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with the nonstick cooking spray. Add half the beef-spaghetti mixture. Next, sprinkle one cup of the cheddar cheese over the beef. Repeat the layers.
5. Mix the soup and water until it’s smooth, and pour it over the casserole. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes.

Whether you’re into Westerns or not, movie night and a great meal is a fun way to spend time with the family!

More Sunday Dinner meals to try

Explore France with chicken ratatouille
Caramel apple pork chops
Soba noodle stir-fry