A few people in the forums have been asking for a good vegetable dish. I realize that my title says this is a hamburger dish. We did in fact use hamburger in our variation however, you don’t have to. This dish is good enough to stand on its own without any hamburger in it, transforming it easily into a vegetarian dish. It is substantially healthier than store bought hamburger helper because you’re using real ingredients. Because you’re using real ingredients rather than processed powdered stuff. . .it’s healthier too! I hope you enjoy! By the way, for those of you who follow the Sneaky Mama, this recipe gets a double thumbs up from her. If you cut the vegetables small enough, the kids don’t realize they’re in there!
While you are browning the beef (if you choose to add it) boil some small pasta. You can choose rotini, ziti, corkscrews, bow tie, or even macaroni. We used bow ties. Cut up your vegetables. What is great about this dish, is that you can choose vegetables according to your family’s tastes. We used yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions and eggplant. But really, whatever your family likes would work well. Consider adding olives, capers, carrots, corn, peas, etc.
When the meat is browned, drain it and add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce. Add the vegetables and heat until boiling simmering for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until it is almost, but not quite done. Mix all the ingredients together and transfer to a 13 x 9 x 2 in. baking dish. Cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Put in the oven at 350 degrees and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes; until the casserole is bubbly, the cheese is melted and the vegetables are soft.
Notes: This dish freezes well. Also, you can make homemade marinara instead of using the jarred variety!