Food for Thought – May 17, 2016

By NANCY ZAMBELL

For The Vista

 

Our new Exit Realty office is open on Peavine Road (the White House)–so please stop by for a cup of coffee and some muffins!

I’m still on my quest for the perfect blueberry muffin, so if you have a great recipe, please send it to me at: [email protected].

In the meantime, when the weather turned chilly last week, I had another craving for pasta.

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website, added a couple of items, and it turned out great. I hope you enjoy it!

Baked Mostaccioli

8 oz uncooked mostaccioli (I used ziti noodles)        1-1/2 lbs ground beef

1⁄2 c chopped onion

1⁄2 c chopped green peppers

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce                                   1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms

1⁄2 c water

1 – 1-1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf                          2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 °. Cook mostaccioli according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef, onion, and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Drain.

Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, mushrooms, water, salt, sugar, basil, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Discard bay leaf. Stir in mostaccioli. Spoon half into a 13×9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; layer with remaining meat mixture.

Sprinkle with cheddar and Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 10-12 servings.