Denby Cast Iron Casserole - Review, Recipe, and Giveaway

I am so excited to own this stunning piece from Denby. The Denby Imperial Blue Cast Iron Oval Casserole measures 13.5" from handle to handle, 9" wide from front to back, and 6" from bottom to the lid handled top. The cast iron pot and lid are both covered with a high quality enamel, blue/black on the outside and white on the inside. I couldn't wait to try it out. I created a new recipe in honor of my new Denby and I'm calling it my Denby Baked Spaghetti.

First, brown one pound of ground beef in a skillet with salt, pepper, minced onions, and garlic powder. Be sure to chop up the ground beef as it is browning so the meat is in small pieces. While the beef is browning, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the noodles.

Gather up two eggs, 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 5 tablespoons of butter, along with a mixing bowl. Drain the grease from the ground beef, rinse it slightly with hot water to remove residual grease, then return it to the skillet and set aside for now (no need to keep it heated).

Toss 16 ounces of spaghetti noodles into the boiling water and add a tablespoon of virgin olive oil to the water and noodles. Stir occasionally so the noodles don't stick together. I used a whole wheat spaghetti.

While the noodles are cooking, melt the 5 tablespoons of butter, then whisk it together with the two eggs and the 1/3 cup of Parmesan. Set this bowl aside for now.

Go back to the skillet of beef and add a 29 ounce can of tomato sauce, a small can of sliced black olives, a handful of sliced mushrooms, and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. (Still no heat required at this point.)

When the noodles are done (usually about 10 minutes in boiling water), drain the noodles and return them to the pot. Add the buttery, cheesy, eggy mixture to the noodles and stir it all around until the noodles are coated in it. Now I finally get to use my Denby Cast Iron Oval Casserole! Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Lightly spray the inside of the Casserole with cooking spray and put half the coated spaghetti noodles in the bottom, then layer shredded mozzarella cheese over the noodles (I didn't have any shredded moz so I grabbed the mozzarella cheese sticks and peeled them apart to use).

Layer half of the beefy tomato sauce over the cheese. Put the other half of the spaghetti noodles on top of the sauce, then another layer of mozzarella cheese. Layer the rest of the beefy tomato sauce over the cheese, then add more cheese on top.

Cover the Casserole with the lid and put it in the oven at 350F degrees for 50 minutes. With an oven mitt, remove the lid and continue baking the spaghetti for another 10 minutes to brown the top cheese a bit.

Using two oven mitts, remove the Casserole from the oven and set on a pad so you don't burn your counter. Do not touch the dish or lid or handles with bare hands! Cast iron cools very slowly, so your food will stay hot longer.

The Denby Baked Spaghetti came out absolutely delicious! The consistency of it is thicker than traditional spaghetti and can be served right out of this gorgeous Oval Casserole with a big spoon. This recipe will serve 8-10 people, unless you have two teenage sons. Both the Oval Casserole and the lid cleaned up quickly and easily in soapy warm water with a washcloth, thanks to the enamel finish. My family is already begging me to make it again. You can shop for Denby at www.denbyusa.com and you can connect with them on Facebook and Twitter. And you can enter to win below!
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Win a Denby Imperial Blue Cast Iron Oval Casserole!
To enter, fill in the Rafflecopter form below. Only the first entry is mandatory; but all those bonus entries will increase your chance to win this fantastic prize. You must be at least 18 years old and live in the US. This giveaway ends at midnight ET on 7/14/12. Good luck!

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