Baked Spaghetti

5 (2)

People have been baking pasta for centuries and the Italians have been making spaghetti pie and baked spaghetti for years.  I have not been making this Baked Spaghetti recipe for that long, but I love it.  I served it at the rehearsal dinner before our wedding for 30+ people – my sister and I spent the day in the kitchen making dish after dish.  And it was a huge hit.

For the sauce you will need onions, green pepper, ground beef, Italian sausage, parsley, seasonings, and your favorite spaghetti sauce.  To assemble you will need spaghetti and cheese.

The sauce is a focal point and here is how I make mine.  Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and sauté one chopped onion and one chopped green bell pepper.  Sprinkle with salt.  After about 5 minutes when the onions become translucent, add one pound of ground beef and 2 Italian sausages with their casings removed.  Break up the meats with a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink – about 8 minutes.  Add 2 garlic cloves finely minced, a tablespoon of Italian seasonings crushed with your fingertips, one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of pepper and sauté one minute.  Add ½ cup of chopped parsley and a 24-ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce; to make sure you get all the goodness out of jar, swirl around a big splash of vodka (or water) and add to the mixture.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and let simmer away for 20 minutes or so, stirring from time to time.

Meanwhile, prepare 8 ounces of spaghetti according to the directions on the box and grate 1 1/4 cups of extra sharp cheddar cheese and 1 1/4 cups of Monterey Jack.  Combine the cheeses into a small bowl and set aside.

Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 pan with cooking spray and ladle 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom.  Add ½ of the spaghetti and ½ of the cheeses.  Repeat the layers and sprinkle the top with ½ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

I love baked spaghetti.  The great thing about this dish is that it is even better the next day and the next day.  I also use this sauce as my go to pasta sauce for other dishes.  I hope you will try it and love it as much as I do.

Baked Spaghetti

Serves:  8

Prep time:  35 minutes

Cook time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion diced

1 green bell pepper diced

1 pound of ground beef

2 Italian sausages, casings removed

1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings, crushed with your fingertips

2 cloves of garlic minced

½ cup of chopped parsley

24-ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce

8 ounces of spaghetti

1 ¼ cup of freshly grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 ¼ cup of freshly grated Monterey jack cheese

½ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; spray a 13 x 9 x 2 pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the onion and pepper, sprinkle with salt and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the beef and Italian sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  Cook until no longer pink.
3. Add the garlic, Italian seasonings, one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of pepper and sauté one minute. Add the chopped parsley and the pasta sauce; rinse the jar out with a big splash of vodka (or water) and add to the mixture.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and let simmer away for 20 minutes or so, stirring from time to time.
5. Prepare the spaghetti according to directions on the package and mix the 2 grated cheeses in a bowl.
6. Ladle 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the dish, ½ of the spaghetti and ½ of the cheeses. Repeat the layers and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.