Slow Cooker Spaghetti Casserole

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Like I mentioned yesterday, my V-Day will be spent in class and then with some delicious Outback Steakhouse take out and 2 hours of quality time (hopefully) with my husband before he passes out.

This is actually a recipe we had a few weeks ago but since today isn't a crock pot meal I pulled this one out of the archives. It was my first time making spaghetti in the crock pot where I didn't cook the noodles first. I was worried it would be crunchy and not fully cooked, and part of it was. I made the mistake of not spreading the sauce to the edges and covering the noodles and while the center portions of the casserole were delicious and perfectly cooked, the outsides that weren't covered with sauce were still a tad bit crunchy. As long as you don't make the mistake of throwing it together quickly and not using your brain, like me :0, you should be just fine! Recipe from Reservations Not Required.

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium onion chopped

1 26 oz jar of pasta sauce

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

12 oz can of evaporated milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp pepper

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces

3 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (the recipe recommends sharp but I used a mild cheese and it was fine)

grated parmesan cheese

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet, until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain meet and return to skillet. Stir pasta sauce into the beef mixture.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 8 minutes until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and pepper.

Spoon one-third of the meat mixture into a lightly greased slow cook. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese over white sauce. Repeat layers once. Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese (make sure all sides of the spaghetti are covered). Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

With that I'll leave you with this quote and a non-smiling picture of Lucy who really does love her heart bandana.

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."