Spaghetti Casserole

I used to eat at Fazoli's when I lived back in the great state of Indiana..then moved over to Illinois and was so pleased that they had one in my town..only to have it close down a few years after I moved here. I always ordered the same thing, the baked spaghetti. This recipe is hands down better, probably has a lot to do with the fact that it is homemade! I think this would make a nice meal to make up, and freeze and then bake when you are ready. I have some friends about to have their second child and will test this out on them, sure they won't mind being the Guinea pigs! This makes a lot, I sent the leftovers with Doug and the kids the next day to his parents while I went to work.

I made homemade sauce, I am sure the a jar of sauce would make this even easier, but Doug claims the jar sauce makes him sick. Little does he know, or maybe he does that more than a handful of times I have used the jar. Begin by cooking the pasta according to package directions. Melt 1 TBLS of butter in a medium sauce pan and add chopped onion and garlic. Once the onions have softened add the ground beef and cook till no longer pink, drain off any fat. Add basil and Italian seasoning and blend in with the beef. Add sauce and let simmer while you cook the pasta noodles.

Once the noodles are finished drain and add to a large bowl. Add cream cheese and Italian seasoning to noodles and stir to coat.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish and spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Add the noodles and spread out evenly. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, let stand for about 10 minutes and serve. You will not be disappointed! This is delicious!

I also made homemade french bread to serve with this and will post that recipe soon!

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

1 Package spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For Sauce:

1 TBLS butter

1 medium onion, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, diced (I use the jar stuff and add about 2 tsp)

1 lb. ground beef

1 Large can tomato sauce (I added an additional smaller can as well)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. dried basil

Melt butter in medium saucepan and add onions and garlic. Add ground beef and cook till done. Drain fat and add Italian seasoning and basil. Mix till blended and add tomato sauce, let simmer while the noodles are cooking.

When noodles are done, drain and add to large bowl. Add the following

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Stir till combined

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread a small amount of sauce in the prepared pan, add noodles and spread evenly. Pour remaining sauce over noodles.

Top with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese (or in my case, whatever I had in the fridge!)

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, remove and let sit for 10 minutes. Enjoy!