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02/03/2008: "Baked Spaghetti"
Oh boy, the rain has really been coming down this week huh? Makes it hard for me to do laundry, but I need clean clothes! Anyhoo, let me share a recipe for Baked Spaghetti that is perfect for this type of weather. Easy to make and delicious to eat, I hope you all enjoy it! I used to love the baked spaghetti that came in the school lunches, so I decided to recreate it for myself! My office loved it (made it for a holiday party)...and amazingly enough...people who don't usually like spaghetti dishes tend to like this dish.
Baked Spaghetti
32 oz. Meatless spaghetti sauce, any flavor (I used Hunt's Brand - Garlic and Herb)
- Here's the thing. Spaghetti sauces don't come in 32 oz. jars. I usually grab a big can of spaghetti sauce (26 oz.) and then a glass bottle of spaghetti sauce (anything with garlic is what I go for) is the best bet. The cans of spaghetti sauce is cheaper so you can use it all, while the remaining amount you need...you can save the remainder in the glass bottle.
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion - do not drain (I use Hunt's brand once again)
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
1 box (lb.) spaghetti or angel hair pasta, whichever you prefer
1 8 oz. bag shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 8 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese (you can add more if you like a lot of cheese for both cheeses, for these pictures, I used only one each...when I've made the recipe in other times...I've added more mozzarella)
Either one 13 x 9 baking pan or two 8 inch baking pans.
Olive Oil Spray - to grease the pan(s)
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Break the pasta into 3 inch lengths. I usually yield about 3 "sticks" from each stick of spaghetti and then cook according to package directions. I usually remove it about 2-3 minutes before the pasta is cooked. The pasta will continue to cook later in the sauce and eventually in the oven so you don't want to overcook the pasta. Rinse and drain the pasta, place aside.
Brown onions and ground beef together until the beef is cooked through. Drain excess grease if necessary. Stir in spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes with the beef mixture and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Stir in the pasta. Once incorporated, stir in all the cheddar cheese. Stir the mixture until cheese is completely melted.
Grease your baking pan(s) and place your pasta mixture in.
Bake the spaghetti for 15 minutes, take the pan(s) out and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes more or until the cheese has melted to your liking. Enjoy!
Note: Another great thing about this recipe is that it freezes very nicely!
Here is how the spaghetti looks like right after the first 15 minutes in the oven. Looks dried huh? Don't worry, it's perfectly moist inside...
