Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Why did I pick this to celebrate 4 years of blogging? Well, at this stage of the game, pleasing all palates and moods at the same time is a huge win in this house. The weekend prior to making this recipe, I had a horrible stomach bug (from the Fudgelet) who was doing well, but this meant I wasn’t interested in eating or cooking. Luckily K took the reigns for the worst of it, and I still managed to make an okay meal the next night. But, it wasn’t a huge hit. So, the next weekend I made a soup (I will share soon) and this dish, which was a huuuuuge hit.

Even though I like making complicated recipes sometimes, I also enjoy recipes that are simple, easy to customize, and tasty. I like making food that makes my family and friends happy. You could easily swap in other pasta for this to make it a different baked pasta dish. The Fudgelet doesn’t care. He likes almost all pasta (but there are some brands he is less keen to eat) and tiny meatballs are easy to eat and delicious. Below was his dinner plate.

So, here’s to more posts of food that (hopefully) will be pleasing to my loved ones. Thanks for joining me on this ride!

Directions for Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Slightly adapted from Shutterbean

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3.5-4 cups marinara/spaghetti sauce
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1-1.25 cups ground beef
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Red pepper flakes (as spicy as you like)
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large pan with the onion and cook the onion until softened (a few minutes). Add the ground beef to the pan and break it up as you cook it through. After the beef is cooked through, add the garlic and red pepper flakes.

Cook for a couple minutes, then add the marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

When the spaghetti is cooked, add the sauce mixture to the spaghetti pot and stir to coat.

Take half of the spaghetti and sprinkle half of the parmesan and mozzarella on top. Then repeat with the remaining spaghetti, parmesan, and mozzarella.

Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for a few minutes to let the top get a little crunchy.

Sprinkle the parsley on top before serving.

Directions for Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (without pictures)

Slightly adapted from Shutterbean

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3.5-4 cups marinara/spaghetti sauce
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1-1.25 cups ground beef
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Red pepper flakes (as spicy as you like)
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large pan with the onion and cook the onion until softened (a few minutes). Add the ground beef to the pan and break it up as you cook it through. After the beef is cooked through, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for a couple minutes, then add the marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes. When the spaghetti is cooked, add the sauce mixture to the spaghetti pot and stir to coat.

Take half of the spaghetti and sprinkle half of the parmesan and mozzarella on top. Then repeat with the remaining spaghetti, parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for a few minutes to let the top get a little crunchy. Sprinkle the parsley on top before serving.

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