Baked Spaghetti Casserole – Take Spaghetti To A New Level

As much as I love a good plate of traditional spaghetti, every Fall when the weather turns cooler I prefer to make this Baked Spaghetti Casserole. Cooked spaghetti noodles tossed in a meat based pasta sauce and topped with two varieties of cheese.

Place it in the oven until the cheese melts and starts to turn brown. Then serve it with a side salad and garlic bread and you have yourself a comfort food meal that will keep you feeling full for hours.

This casserole is different than the popular Million Dollar Spaghetti recipe that you might have seen. That recipe is basically a lasagna recipe but instead of using lasagna noodles, spaghetti noodles are used instead.

Although it may be delicious, I wanted a casserole recipe that is simple and easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of time to prepare. Not to mention that I didn’t want to have to purchase grocery items that I don’t use frequently.

For instance, depending on which million dollar spaghetti recipe that you make you will need ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese and/or sour cream. And because I cook for two, I would have a ton of leftover ingredients that I would have to find a good use for.

Sure I could make lasagna or Stuffed Shells with the leftover ricotta cheese. And I could eat the cottage cheese for a snack or side dish.

However, there are times that I want a simple and easy, yet delicious recipe without a lot of work involved. And that is exactly why I made this Baked Spaghetti Casserole recipe!

Semi-Homemade Meat Pasta Sauce

And it all starts off with a semi-homemade ground beef pasta sauce. Instead of making my favorite homemade pasta sauce, I am going to let a store bought sauce take center stage.

Well, sort of. Even when I purchase my favorite jar of sauce, I always add a little extra dried Italian seasoning and fresh minced garlic.

Combine that with cooked ground beef and sautéed onion and bell pepper and you have yourself a delicious meat sauce for any type of pasta.

However, if you want to make this meal a little healthier, you can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for the beef. Just be sure to add a little extra virgin olive oil to the pan before browning the meat.

This will help prevent the food from sticking to the bottom of the pan. And if you are vegetarian, feel free to use plant based crumbles or skip the meat all together.

Make Ahead Option

Traditional spaghetti is a quick and easy recipe that can be made and served in under 20 minutes. The noodles cook in about 10 minutes and the meat sauce can be made in just about the same amount of time.

Although, there is always the extra time waiting for the pot of water to boil. However dinner can still be on the table in under 20 minutes.

But since this is a casserole recipe, after the spaghetti has been tossed together it needs time in the oven to bake. However, you can still make this Baked Spaghetti Casserole a 30 minute meal.

Although a little planning is required. This is where some advance meal planning can go a long way at getting dinner on the table quicker.

Prepare The Entire Meal Ahead of Time

The first option is to prepare the meat sauce and noodles 1-2 days before you want to serve it for dinner. Then toss everything together and put it in a greased baking dish.

Let it cool and then sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover and place it in the refrigerator and you have a meal that is ready to go in the oven whenever you are.

Meal Prep Individual Ingredients

The other option for meal planning is to meal prep the individual ingredients. Because I typically purchase a full pound of ground beef, instead of half a pound, I will brown it all at once.

Then I will separate the cooked meat into two equal portions. This way I can save half the portion for my Easy Beef Stroganoff recipe and keep the other half for this recipe.

As for the noodles, I will cook them per the package instructions for al’ dente and then drain. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top and store in an air tight container.

I will even dice up a bell pepper and onion at the beginning of the week and store them in the refrigerator. That way I can pull out whatever portion I need for various recipes without having to pull out the cutting board and knife each time.

So now that you know how to get this delicious meal on the table quicker, lets get to the recipe ingredients and instructions.

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced green or sweet bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 4 ounces spaghetti, cooked
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, diced
• 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 Tbsp. fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by preheating the oven to 375°F (190°C). Then spray a small 1.5 quart baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Get a pot of water boiling to cook the pasta. Once it is boiling, add the spaghetti noodles and cook until al’ dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet add the ground beef, onion and bell pepper and place over medium high heat. Brown the meat until no longer pink.

Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute. Drain and return the meat mixture to the skillet.

Pour the pasta sauce and add the dried Italian seasoning to the mixture and stir. Continue to cook over medium heat until it reaches a simmer.

Simmer the baked spaghetti casserole meat sauce for 5-8 minutes. You want the sauce to be thick, so depending on the brand of pasta sauce that you purchased, the cook time will vary.

Once the sauce is thickened stir in the cooked spaghetti noodles and diced fresh parsley. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and spread it out in an even layer.

Add Cheese – As Much As You Want!

Sprinkle the Mozzarella and fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake 25-30 minutes or until the edges are bubbly and the cheese melts and starts to turn light golden brown in color.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Serve with garlic knots for an extra special treat!

Enjoy! Mary

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