Lady and Sons Baked Spaghetti

This is one of our favorite recipes and it gets lots of rave reviews when we feed it to people. I changed the original recipe to use stewed tomatoes instead of green peppers and diced tomatoes because I didn't have any green peppers on hand. We liked it so much we kept it that way. The best gluten-free noodles are the Tinkyada brand noodles. I use half a package of the brown rice spaghetti for this recipe.

Lady and Sons Baked Spaghetti

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes; diced
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup onion; diced
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley; chopped (I have used a couple of pinches of dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (I use lemon pepper seasoning)
2 small bay leaves
1 lb ground beef
8 oz gluten-free spaghetti; uncooked
1 cup cheddar cheese; grated
1 cup monterey jack cheese; grated

1. In a stockpot, combine the stewed tomatoes (and juice from can), tomato sauce, water, onions, garlic, parsley, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, garlic powder, italian seasoning, sugar, seasoning salt, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and let simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
2. Crumble the ground beef in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until fully cooked, with no pink color remaining. Drain the fat from the meat, and then add the ground beef to the stockpot. Simmer for 20 more minutes.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
4. Cover the bottom of a 13 by 9 x 12-inch pan with sauce. Add a layer of pasta and then a little less than 1/2 of each cheese; repeat the layers, ending with the sauce.
5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°F.
6. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, return it to the oven, and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 more minutes. Cut into squares before serving. (I have to admit I don't usually do this last step and I don't cut it in squares either.)