Baked Spaghetti

A River of Recipes: Native American Recipes Using Commodity Foods by the USDA Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, public domain government resource—original source of recipe

• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• ½ package (1 pound) spaghetti, cooked according to directions
• 4 (15½ ounce) cans tomatoes, chopped, with juice
• ½ can luncheon meat, diced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon sweet basil
• pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup shredded cheese or Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Rinse cooked spaghetti in cold water; set aside to drain.
3. Chop tomatoes as small as possible; set aside with juice.
4. Brown luncheon meat in large pan with oil. Add onion, lower flame and stir constantly until onions are brown. Add tomatoes with juice, cilantro, oregano, basil, pepper, and garlic powder.
5. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. In oiled 4 quart pan, layer half of the cooked spaghetti, ½ tomato mixture, then the rest of the spaghetti, then the rest of the tomato mixture. Top with cheese.
7. Bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes.

Variations

• To lower the sodium content: substitute lean ground beef or lean ground bison for luncheon meat. Or omit meat or both luncheon meat and Parmesan cheese.
• To lower the fat content: omit cheese or omit cheese and meat.