One of my go-to recipes has always been spaghetti. In our first couple of years of marriage, I resorted to my go-to meal a lot because I was very busy and hadn’t conquered the whole meal planning thing. Praise you women who plan your family’s weekly meals and grocery lists every Sunday afternoon. Teach me your ways.
Anyway, over time I got tired of the typical spaghetti dish (and if I was getting tired of it, then I know my husband was). So I started branching out and changing things up a little bit. One time I used this recipe from Pinterest to make a dish with the spaghetti inside the bread… interesting and delicious concept!
I’ve created several renditions of this recipe for baked spaghetti, and I make it differently every time. Sometimes I use sausage, sometimes I don’t. Here’s how it ended up last night:
The Most Delicious Baked Spaghetti
1 lb Ground beef
1/2 lb sausage (the kind that comes in the shape of a horseshoe)
2 cans of crushed or diced tomatoes (I like the italian style)
1 small can of tomato paste
1/4 of a medium-sized onion, chopped
1 small spoonful of minced garlic
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 package spaghetti noodles
4 cups shredded cheese (any variety; I prefer a mixture of cheddar, mozzarella, and colby)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Add in the sausage and let cook for a few minutes. Add in chopped onion and garlic.
2. Preheat the oven to 375. Boil the water for the pasta, and cook according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices to the meat mixture. Let the sauce simmer on low heat while the noodles cook.
4. Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Pour in about half of the noodles. Make sure they cover most of the bottom of the dish. Then, layer about half of the meat sauce on top. Pour 2 cups of cheese on the meat sauce. Repeat this process again using the remaining ingredients so that there are two layers of each.
5. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. You can cover with foil, but I chose not to because I like the way the cheese cooks better without it. Your call 🙂
6. Enjoy your meal with garlic bread, salads, and your favorite people.
♥- Beth