Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Hi guys!  This time I thought I’d try something a little different with my recipe post, and do (most of) the shopping for you!  That’s right, every link below will lead you to the ingredients you need at target.com, with the except of a few refrigerated items.  (I hope they get a home delivery service like Peapod one day, how cool would that be???)  

Anywhoozles, this baked spaghetti recipe is by far one of my family’s favorites.  It’s easy to throw together for a quick weeknight meal.  The addition of cream cheese and sour cream make this dish, well, creamy.  NOTE:  The original recipe called for cottage cheese instead of ricotta and no Parmesan in the topping, but lol wut?  (Btdubs, if you like cottage cheese, by all means, substitute my substitution!)  Also, play with this recipe!  Do you like green peppers?  Dice some up and them in with the onions and mushrooms. How about making it more of a fra diavolo sauce and adding some crushed red pepper?

Oh, and also?  I take pictures like a toddler using a potato, so you're only going to find a couple of images here.  Sorry!

Pretty much like a casserole, this dish is perfect for church suppers or potlucks, too!  TIP: Keeping the cover on during most of the baking time helps to keep the spaghetti from getting dry and hard around the edges.  No cover?  No worries!  Tin foil works fine.

This will make about 6 hearty servings, a little more if you are feeding little ones.  I usually serve it with a green salad and garlic bread on the side.

Ingredients
2 pounds of ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce & 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 lb. (16 oz. package) spaghetti
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
2 cups ricotta cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 8 ounce can of sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste

Topping:
¼  cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 ½  teaspoons of butter, melted

In a large skillet, cook beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. 

Add the tomato sauce, mushrooms, garlic powder and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

No mushrooms in ours. Kids revolt, it's a mutiny, I'm left overthrown and defeated.

​Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to package directions, Drain.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, italian seasoning, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly. Place half of the cooked, drained spaghetti in a 4 quart greased baking dish (cooking spray is fine). Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top. Top with remaining spaghetti and all of the beef mixture.

Toss bread crumbs, melted butter and parmesan cheese in a small bowl; sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover, bake about 5 to 10 minutes longer until heated through and top is brown and bubbly.

GET THIS IN MY MOUTH RIGHT NOW!

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