This easy pasta casserole harkens back to the 1970s, when casseroles graced our tables almost every night.

In my family, we call the original version of this casserole, “Greta’s Own.” That’s because my mom, Greta, pulled it together one night – combining items she had in the cupboard. My father was a notoriously picky eater and had his own ideas about what was suitable dinner food. He also expected dinner to be on the table when he arrived through the door after work; about 4:45 in the afternoon. Some casseroles he loved, like chicken pot pie or goulash. Others – I remember a seven layer cabbage dish – were never to grace the table again. This particular casserole though was a winner.

My mom’s version is less spicy than mine, and includes cooked ground beef. I don’t eat meat, and spent most of my youth picking the hamburger out of my portion. Luckily, along the way mom started cooking me my own little container – sans the beef. As an adult, I switched from cheddar cheese soup to nacho cheese soup for a little extra zing. Neither edition can be called clean health food. But it isn’t terrible; nutrition-wise, and is easy to prepare and loved by almost everyone.

You can find the original recipe in my first cookbook, I Want My Dinner Now! Simple Meals for Busy Cooks.

Easy, Cheesy, Pasta Casserole

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Ingredients

  

• 3/4 pound medium pasta shells
• 2 teaspoons instant, minced onion
• 1 (14 ounce can) tomato sauce
• 1 (10 ounce can) nacho cheese soup

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease a 2 quart baking dish and set aside.
• Cook pasta shells according to package directions or until almost tender.
• Drain pasta and combine with remaining ingredients.
• Spoon into greased baking dish. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.