May 20th: Slumgullion, AKA Spaghetti Lasagna

From "Lost Recipes": Slumgullion, which is essentially a simple lasagna made with spaghetti and Cheddar cheese. I made this one for Greg and Olivia, and Greg's parents were here to enjoy it too. I did not. Way too much salt. The recipe has a pound of Cheddar cheese, and Cheddar is so salty on its own, if I make this again, I'll omit all the salt in the recipe and see if it makes a difference. I'm including the recipe because everyone else raved about it:


Slumgullion:


1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra as needed
1 onion, chopped fine
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 lb ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
(salt)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb spaghetti
1 lb extra old Cheddar cheese, shredded (4 cups)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.


Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ground beef and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.


Stir in garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, broth, (1 tsp salt), and pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture is thickened but still saucy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.


Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and (1 tbsp salt) and cook, stirring often, until al dente; drain pasta. (If drained pasta sits for longer than 5 minutes, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.)


Spread 1 cup sauce into prepared baking dish. Spread half of cooked pasta into baking dish, then spoon 2 cups sauce over top and sprinkle with half Cheddar and half Parmesan. Repeat layering with remaining pasta, sauce, Cheddar and Parmesan. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over top. Bake until filling is bubbling and topping begins to brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.


Serves 6-8.