W4DW- Cheesy Mostaccioli

I usually post my recipes on Wednesday and call them What’s for Dinner Wednesday, but this week it is Thursday and here is why.  I had this post all done except for the picture.  I had the card from the camera in the slot ready to download when the farmer called.  He wanted to take pictures of his sprayer, so he can try to sell it and get a new one.  Was I ready to take pictures?  Right now.  Sure!  So, I took the pictures and wasn’t getting enough, so I left him with the camera and went to finish supper.  When he came in for supper, did he bring the camera?  Ummm.  You guessed it, NO.  I finally retrieved my camera and the picture of this week’s W4DW after I operated the combine all afternoon and had the boys doing their homework in the combine for 2 hours.

If you are interested in a used sprayer, there are pictures of it at the bottom of the post.  ;)

I have talked before about how I love to stock my freezer when I am getting ready for one of our busy seasons.  I like to cook ahead of calving season, but also harvest.  I have written about how different times of the year demand different recipes in my Farm Wife Meal Planner.   We are getting ready for corn harvest, soybean harvest, calf weaning and wheat planting.  It looks like this year it will all take place at the same time, so I better get busy stocking the freezer.  Here is one that my family loves.

If you have kids in your house, anything with pasta and cheese is sure to be a hit.  I adapted this recipe from a Pampered Chef recipe about 12 years ago.  It makes a huge batch, so if you have a bunch of hungry boys to feed it might just be the ticket for you.

Cheesy Mostaccioli

1 (16 oz) package mostaccioli, cooked

1 cup onion, chopped

2 pounds ground beef

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic

¾ teaspoon black pepper

28 ounces tomato juice
1 package spaghetti sauce seasoning packet

1 (10 ¾ ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350*.  Brown ground beef and onion for about 10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, drain off drippings.

Stir in seasonings, tomato juice, spaghetti sauce mix and soup and mix well.  (You can also substitute a jar of spaghetti sauce for the tomato juice and seasoning packet.)

Combine pasta, meat sauce and 1½ cups of the mozzarella cheese in large casserole dish. 

At this point, you can continue with the recipe and bake or freeze for another meal.

Cover the dish with either a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. 

Carefully remove cover and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of the casserole.  Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes.

 This make 12 servings.

-A Kansas Farm Mom

And one of the 20+ pictures of the sprayer that delayed my post.  Gosh I love being a Farmer's Wife!  :)  Have a great rest of the week and wonderful weekend!!