Spaghetti Casserole

Totally forgot how much work newborns are! I'm going to have to post how to transition from two to three kids. Since everyone is happy and I function without coffee, I feel as though I've perfected the art. 

I hesitated posting this recipe because it is not totally vegan. Big fat apologies to all aspiring vegans out there. My goal is to make this a plant based blog, but I decided to post it anyway because this post is for you people emailing me, asking me how you can make a smooth transition into vegan or vegetarian cooking. 

I love LOVE casseroles. I have always wanted to try The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti but pretty much the only thing I could eat from it were the onions and pasta. Yesterday I broke down and made my own version. I replaced the chicken with zucchinis and created my own vegan cream of mushroom instead of using canned. My cream of mushroom is super easy and didn't have all the bad stuff canned food does. 

This dish took minutes to make and was very little work. The fact that I was able to whip it up quickly with a fussy baby and another child yelling some such at me, says a lot. This dish is for all of you who want to consume less meat on occasion, or those who want to eat Pioneer Woman delicious goodness, but a healthier version. Enjoy!

Yummmm....I do enjoy having a bit of cheese every now and then. Note the cream of mushroom on the bottom of the dish. I'm notorious for skipping steps. Here I skipped the step of mixing all ingredients in a large bowl, which is why the cream is not evenly distributed. 

Cheesy, Veggie, Spaghetti Casserole

About 3 cups brown rice spaghetti pasta

1 Tablespoon vegan butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms

20 ounces rice milk

2 Tablespoon white flour

2 diced zucchinis, about 2 cups

1 diced bell pepper

Salt and Pepper

2 cups shredded chedder cheese plus more for the top

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Cook pasta as directed. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté till browned, about five minutes. Add rice milk and whisk in flour. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it thicken a bit while you chop your veggies, about ten minutes or less.

3. In a large bowl mix together cooked spaghetti, milk with mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, two cups cheese and a good amount of salt and pepper. Pour into a 8x8 in. casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake for 45 minutes until bubbling. 

Thérèse had just woken up from her nap to eat this. I asked Daniel to do something with her bed hair and this was his technique. She thought it was funny but not a solution. With three girls, giving Daniel a hair styling lesson is now on my list of things to do.

Hoping to share my perfected vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe with you this up-coming week and my mommy survival skills! I'm going to need to post up-dated pictures of my baby. Her growth has been rapid. I call her my Jolly Red Giant.