Categories: Casseroles- One Dish Meals- Stir Fry- Pot Pies

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 6 cups homemade or store-bought tomato spaghetti sauce, divided use
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1 to 2 lbs. mixed summer squash, such as pattypan, yellow and zucchini, trimmed
• 1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9 × 13-inch baking dish with oil.

2. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally to break up any large clumps. (The meat does not have to be cooked all the way through.) Drain off as much of the fat as possible, then add the onion, garlic, celery and green bell pepper to the skillet.

3. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened.

4. When the mixture has browned, add 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce and the basil; mix well, then remove from the heat.

5. Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan with an inch or two of water; heat over medium-high heat.

6. Cut the different squashes into 1/4-inch slices and add to the saucepan. Cook covered, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the slices are slightly tender but not fully softened. Drain and set aside.

7. To assemble: Create a single layer of the par-cooked squash slices in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, then layer in the following order in even amounts; the meat-vegetable sauce, the bread crumbs, some of the remaining 4 cups of spaghetti sauce and the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses; repeat twice to use all the ingredients, ending with a sprinkling of bread crumbs over the remaining cheeses.

8. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the cheese and bread crumbs have started to brown. Serve hot.

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