You know how sometimes it seems like everything is going wrong? Today is one of THOSE days. I have a plumber here, He’s replacing a gasket on a toilet because we had a water leak. But that’s not all, my garbage disposal started leaking, as well. At my house, when it rains, it pours, literally. On the up side, both things happened on the same day. So even though I had two floods, I only had to worry about one plumber ~ one service call. I’m actually SAVING money.
… Anyway, we still have to eat, and I’ve been thinking about making this rich, creamy, tasty, SIMPLE million dollar baked spaghetti casserole for awhile. I think today’s the day. Not only does the casserole come together quickly, you can make it ahead and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake. ALSO, the leftovers are even better the next day. PLUS, it feeds a lot of people, AND kids like it. Have I said enough to convince you? I’m gonna make this, and throw it in the oven before the plumber gets under my sink. Comfort food to the rescue!
By the way, this recipe is wonderful to make for a pot-luck or for a friend.
- 8 ounces (1/2 pound) spaghetti, broken into 4 inch pieces
- ½ pound Italian sausage or ground beef
- 1 jar (24 ounce) spaghetti sauce,
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese,
- 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves, minced
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and lightly coat a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the meat with the diced onion. When thoroughly cooked, add minced garlic, and sauté for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, and drain fat. Stir in ½ of the spaghetti sauce.
- Break spaghetti into 4 inch pieces, and cook to package directions. Drain well. Stir in cream cheese, butter, and ¾ cup Parmesan cheese. Add meat/sauce mixture, and mix well.
- Pour into prepared baking pan, and top with remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and all the mozzarella cheeses. Cover tightly with foil
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then remove foil, and bake for another 10 minutes, uncovered. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil, and serve.
Lightly coat a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Break
8 ounces (1/2 pound) spaghetti
into 3 or 4 inch pieces.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown
½ pound Italian sausage or ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
When fully cooked, add
2 cloves garlic, minced
and saute 2 minutes more.
Stir in
half of a 24 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
Reduce heat to low, and allow to warm slowly.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions, and drain well.
Stir in
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
Add
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Mix well.
Add one half of the meat sauce to the spaghetti, and combine completely.
Pour into prepared baking pan.
Top with the other half of the jar of spaghetti sauce.
Sprinkle with
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese
Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.
Remove foil, and bake another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Garnish with fresh chopped basil, and …
… serve.
Mmmm! … tastes like a million bucks!