This hearty and delicious family-tested baked spaghetti has fed more than a few hungry teenagers in the fifteen plus years I’ve been making it!
It’s easy, cheesy and one of my family’s all-time favorite comfort meals. Plus, it whips up easily, even on a busy weeknight, and reheats beautifully.
If you’ve never had baked spaghetti before, you’re in for a real treat! Consider it a Lasagna only with spaghetti, (but, just as tasty)! What I especially love about this recipe is that it calls for regular spaghetti (as opposed to vermicelli or thin spaghetti). I just love the heartier pasta and so does my family.
Not only is this a great recipe to have on hand when you need to feed a hungry crowd of teenagers (or any hungry crowd, for that matter), it’s also a great make-ahead dinner. Serve it up with a salad and warm garlic bread and it’s delicious enough to serve company or take to a potluck!
Ingredients
- 1 Ib. ground beef (can substitute 1 Ib of bulk sweet Italian sausage or use a little of both, i.e. 1/2 Ib. ground beef and 1/2 Ib. Italian sausage)
- 16 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 3/4 finely cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano (can substitute Italian seasoning)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large jar (23.9 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup Ricotta cheese
- 2-3 cups six-cheese Italian shredded cheese (mozzarella works great, too!)
- Optional: 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- Optional: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a deep 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- Saute' ground beef, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in large skillet until meat is browned; pour off fat.
- Stir in spaghetti sauce; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling water; drain.
- Mix sour cream and Ricotta cheese in separate small bowl.
- Layer half of cooked spaghetti in bottom of prepared casserole dish. Layer half the meat mixture on top of spaghetti. Spread combined sour cream / Ricotta cheese mixture over meat and top with one cup of Italian shredded cheese. Top with another layer of the remaining spaghetti and meat sauce ending with remaining Italian cheese on top.
- Optional: sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
- Let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Cut into squares and serve.
Serve with salad and garlic bread for a hearty Italian meal!
NOTES:
- In my family, we're BIG fans of cheese so I used about 2 1/2 cups of cheese in this recipe. Feel free to use as little or as much as you like!
Ready to pop in the oven!
Hot out of the oven!
