By Kevin Williams
Wigglers are a casserole, a hearty, delicious casserole that is quite popular among the Amish. I laugh every time I hear the name. "Wigglers", that just doesn't sound too appetizing. But the casserole is good and I'm thinking the spaghettis in it give in the "wiggler" type appearance. Wiggle. That's one of those words if you say it enough it just sounds funny. Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle. Say it out loud. Weird word! Anyway, some people call worms "wigglers" and I can see how the spaghetti could resemble that. Appetizing!
Bacon is one of the ingredients in Wigglers
But if you don't mind the funny name and want an easy hearty casserole (can anything with bacon be bad tasting?) this dish is very typical of Amish cooking changes over the past 50 years: processed foods. Velveeta cheese and canned soups. Both of these items became popular with Amish cooks after World War II. I've found these items actually more popular among the Old Order. New Order Amish seem to pay a bit more attention to diet and nutrition than Old Order, but this is only anecdotal observation on my part.
- 3 lbs. hamburger
- 3 onions - chopped
- 3 c. cooked celery
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cans peas
- 1 c. grated cheese
- 1¾ qt. tomato soup
- 1 lb. Velveeta cheese
- 2 small pkg. cooked spaghetti
- 9 slices bacon
- 3 c. diced cooked potatoes
- Fry bacon in skillet, remove to plate and brown hamburger and onion in bacon fat.
- Put meat and onions in a six qt. casserole.
- Add potatoes, soup, carrots, and spaghetti.
- Arrange celery and bacon slices on top.
- Put grated cheese on top.
- Bake in moderate oven at 350° F. for 1 to 1-½ hours.
victor
u forgot an ingredient carrots
Kevin
Oops, thanks for pointing that out!
Thomas T Nealeigh
In the "Wigglers" recipe, is the grated cheese different from the Velveta? If so, what does one do with the Velveta?
Kevin
Always good to hear from you, it's been awhile! Sorry for the unclear instructions, I did look and the grated cheese is different than Velveeta...the Velveeta goes in Step 2, mixes in with the meat. It's a very cheesy dish!
Gerry Altrichter
do you cook the hamburger before putting it into the potato casseroles or leave it raw?
Kevin
Good question, Gerry, go ahead and cook it.