Sunday Dinner - Baked Spaghetti

Well...it's another pasta dish! Granted, this one does have some meat in it, so there's at least that going for it, right? Also, the meat in it isn't chicken so I really think we're batting a thousand on this one. I have no complaints...and I guess the folks that ate it didn't have complaints either...they both ate two helpings.

All the things...in the dish...

Keeping cooking priorities straight - always have wine on hand...

What You Need

- 16 ounces thin spaghetti

- 1 lb. ground beef (you can also use Italian sausage)

- 24 ounces jar of marinara sauce

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

- 5 tbsp. butter, melted

- 15 ounces Ricotta cheese

- 3 tbsp. Cilantro

- 1/4 cup sour cream

- 3 cups Mozzarella cheese

The assembly line...

Before the oven - look at all the layers.

What You Need to Do

- Preheat the oven to 350; coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

- Cook pasta according to directions on package; drain. Whisk together 2 eggs, melted butter and Parmesan cheese. Toss with pasta and set aside.

- Combine the Ricotta cheese, sour cream and Cilantro. Set aside/add to your assembly line.

- Brown ground beef/sausage and drain any grease. Mix marinara sauce in with cooked ground beef and set aside.

- Layer half of the pasta mixture, half of the Ricotta cheese mixture, half of the meat sauce and half of the Mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers.

- Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is bubbly! 

- Enjoy with a side of crusty French bread!

After the oven - yes please!

Please ignore the fine china & look at the yummy food!

I really enjoyed this - I got the recipe from Plain Chicken and only modified bits and pieces; I didn't use quite as much Mozzarella as she called for. My two guinea pigs did have one suggestion for making this dish in the future - they thought it needed more red sauce. 

I realize a 24 ounce jar of marinara sauce probably seems like a lot, but once you start to layer in all the ingredients...the marinara can get a little lost in all the other flavors. If you aren't really a die hard "red sauce" fan, then make it according to the directions; I'm not a huge red sauce person and I thought it was just fine the way it was....

However, I was feeding two people who absolutely love traditional spaghetti and while they helped themselves to a second helping, they both agreed a little more red sauce could go a long way. I'd definitely tell you to give this recipe a try, just know who you're cooking for and get into the kitchen!