Dinner : Spaghetti Hotdish

Going out of town seems to make me crazy busy. We went four hours away (each way) for Easter and I rented a car to do so. I was so busy that I didn't do much cooking or baking lately. We had a bunch of leftovers in the fridge to heat up, and things like tater tots or processed food around. Yes, I know, I'm bad. I consider those indulgences though and we don't eat them much.

We grabbed a few things at the store the other night, including stuff to make this. Spaghetti Hotdish is just what my mom always called it. It's pretty simple and it always makes plenty so there's enough to heat up for lunch (or dinner) the next day.

Ingredients:
* 1 pound pasta
* 1 pound mozzarella (shredded)
* 1 egg
* 1 stick unsalted butter (melted)
* Tomato Sauce recipe

Directions:
All the stovetop prep is pretty quick, but you'll want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F right away. Get out a 9 x 13 casserole dish (or something of comparable size) and spray with olive oil. In a large pot get your pasta going. I always salt the water and throw the pasta in when I turn the heat on. In another pan you'll want to get your tomato sauce started. It's not necessary to cook it for a long time because it will be cooking in the oven. But I do figure I might as well turn on the burner while I blend all the spices into the sauce. In another pan (or in the microwave I don't have) you'll want to melt the stick of butter. I cut it into smaller slices so that it melted faster. Melt it on the lowest setting on your stove and watch it carefully. I would shake and swirl the ban a bit so that the butter didn't burn while doing this.

Once the pasta is done to your likeness be sure to drain it entirely then return it to the pot you cooked it in. Your butter has hopefully melted it already, once it has pour it into the casserole and crack the egg into it. I make sure the scramble the egg and blend it with the butter as well as I can. Add the cooked and drained pasta, then add the shredded mozzarella. Stir this all but don't worry if the cheese doesn't melt entirely. It will melt as it cooks in the oven. Flat the mixture with the back of the mixing spoon and then pour the sauce over the top. Spread the sauce evenly and then bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes.

(Sorry, this is a pretty bad picture!)

To serve it, I usually let it set up for a few minutes and then cut it into squares just like you would with cake in a pan.