Easy Baked Spaghetti
Easy Baked Spaghetti - winner winner spaghetti dinner! Why have regular old spaghetti when you can have cheesy BAKED spaghetti!
This easy baked spaghetti recipe is a hearty potluck classic.
It's chock full of veggies and cheese, and will feed a crowd!
Sure you can mix spaghetti and sauce together and call it a day, but magic happens when everything bakes together like lasagna or Beef and Cheese Manicotti.
Don't get me wrong, I still love recipes that can be ready in 20 minutes like easy Pasta with Ricotta, but this is worth it and keeps the house cozy to boot!
How to Make Easy Baked Spaghetti
First things first, you need to cook the spaghetti. Water takes a while to boil, so start that right away, then move on to the sauce.
The hearty meat sauce consists of ground beef, onions, garlic, green pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes.
What I love most about this is how customizable it is.
If you don't like mushrooms, leave them out.
If you don't have green pepper on hand, it will still be tasty without.
Make it double meat with chopped peperoni.
Got another vegetable you want to add? Do it!
The sauce is seasoned with seasoning salt. But don't limit yourself to Lawry's.
Right now my favorite is a spicy Cajun mix called Slap Ya Mama.
I also love using McCormick Hamburger seasoning. It adds flavor to everything!
Use your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce for this recipe.
You can also use plain tomato sauce if that's all you have. Just add extra spices and some Italian seasoning.
Mix that all together with your cooked spaghetti, parmesan cheese and two beaten eggs.
The eggs will help bind the spaghetti as it bakes.
Place half the spaghetti mixture in a 13x9 pan, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. This helps bind everything as well, but it also ensures there's cheese in every bite.
Layer the rest of the spaghetti and top with a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
You can use just one cheese or another, but I love the gooey melty-ness of the mozzarella along with the sharpness of the cheddar.
The whole dish is covered and baked, then the foil is removed and it's baked a little longer until the cheese is bubbly and turning golden.
Cook baked spaghetti casserole for 40 minutes total.
Let it cool 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve!
Easy Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry spaghetti
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 4 oz sliced mushrooms canned, undrained
- 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes undrained
- 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 2 large eggs well beaten
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (4 oz)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 13×9 baking dish with non-stick spray; set aside.
- Cook and drain the spaghetti according to the package instructions for "al dente." While the water is boiling for the spaghetti, prepare the sauce.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic until the beef is browned and the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and seasoning salt. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Add drained pasta, beaten eggs and parmesan cheese, stirring to combine.
- Add half the spaghetti mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Top with remaining half of spaghetti, remaining cup of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing to serve.
