Two things about baked spaghetti casserole make it the best dish. The first is that it's simple spaghetti and meat sauce: no fancy tricks, no long list of ingredients -- just good old comforting pasta with no muss or fuss. The second best thing is that when you make the recipe that follows, you can easily pop it into the freezer so you have a comfort meal ready any busy night of the week.
While this dish is really easy to make, it's important to take the extra 20 minutes to cook it right in the sauce to help it and the sauce completely blend together. This helps to make the meat a little more tender, too. That extra step and few minutes of time make a huge difference when it's time to dig in and enjoy!
Baked spaghetti casseroleServings: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Ingredients2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, cut in a small dice
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
2 10-ounce cans tomato sauce
1/2 package dried spaghetti
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
Directions1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9" x 13" casserole dish.
2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
3. When hot, add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes until softened.
4. Add the ground beef to the pan, breaking it up as you do, and cook for about 10 minutes and until it is no longer pink anywhere.
5. Add the ground beef to the tomato sauce and set, covered, over medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
6. While the beef is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
7. Add pasta to the sauce (either in the pot or a bowl if the pot isn't big enough).
8. Add half of the mozzarella cheese and stir to incorporate all ingredients.
9. Pour the spaghetti mixture into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
10. Place casserole into the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
Pro-Tip: Top with Parmesan and parsley.
