M: Un-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day Recipe Filed under ( Italian, Turkey )

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!!

Seeing as how today most people will be busy scarfing down turkey and gravy and stuffing (as am I), I thought I might post something completely un-Thanksgiving. Why? ...Why not? Plus, let’s be honest, I won’t have any fun Thanksgiving pics until tomorrow.

And, who wouldn’t want to know about my mother-in-law’s fantastic baked spaghetti recipe? I know I would if I were you. I mean, this stuff is good…It’s real good. This dish is super easy, a little time consuming, but SO worth it in the end. It makes a lot, so if you’re cooking for a group or for a family, this is a perfect one dish meal that everyone will love. Or, if you’re us, you just eat it for dinner all week or take the leftovers for lunch at work!

This lovely thing comes out of the oven bubbly and all sorts of smelling good. There is a bottle of chili sauce in the recipe, so it gives it such a nice kick with a little sweetness. I make this with ground turkey since I’m allergic to beef, but please feel free to use ground beef! And if you’re not a mushroom person, simply leave them out! I just can’t even tell you how awesome this dish is. I usually serve it with some garlic bread or a salad or both if I’m feeling frisky.

Here goes my un-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day recipe…

Baked Spaghetti

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 bottle chili sauce

1 large can/jar sliced mushrooms, drained

3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 lbs. ground turkey (or beef)

1 (8 oz.) package thin spaghetti

Worcestershire sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook spaghetti and drain – set aside. Chop onion and pepper (I like big chunks of veggies in my casserole so I cut mine up into larger pieces) and sauté in olive oil until tender.

Add ground turkey, cook about 20 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Add tomatoes, chili sauce, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on low about 1 hour.

Remove from stove and stir in half of the cheese. Mix with spaghetti and put into a 9 x 13 dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!