Easy Spaghetti Casserole
Submitted by mcgahagirl
Easy spaghetti casserole layered with a from-scratch beef and mushroom tomato sauce, tangled spaghetti and sharp cheddar, then baked under a crunchy bread crumb crust. A bubbling, crowd-feeding weeknight bake.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsThis baked spaghetti casserole takes the weeknight standby and turns it into a cheesy, golden-topped one-dish meal. The sauce starts from scratch: ground chuck browned with onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic, then simmered with plum tomatoes, basil, oregano and a bay leaf until it thickens into something rich and savory.
Cooked spaghetti gets folded right into the sauce along with a cup of sharp cheddar, so every strand is coated instead of sitting plain under the topping. The whole thing goes into a baking dish, gets a blanket of bread crumbs and more cheese, and bakes until the top browns and the edges bubble up.
Those bread crumbs are what set this apart from a regular bowl of pasta, crisping into a crunchy crust over the soft, cheesy noodles below. A short rest before serving helps it slice into neat squares.
Pro Tips
- Cook the spaghetti just shy of al dente. It keeps softening in the oven, so undercooking slightly keeps it from turning mushy.
- Fish out the bay leaf before you mix in the pasta. Nobody wants to bite into it.
- Stirring a cup of cheese into the sauce, not just over the top, melts gooey cheese all the way through the dish.
- Let it stand the full 5 minutes after baking so it firms up and cuts cleanly.
Variations
- Use ground turkey or Italian sausage in place of the beef.
- Swap cheddar for mozzarella and Parmesan for a more classic Italian flavor.
- Stir a handful of spinach or diced zucchini into the sauce to slip in some vegetables.
Ingredients
Directions
In a 5 to 6 qt. dutch oven, cook the ground chuck, onion, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring often to break up lumps of meat, until beef loses its pink color.
Add tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, bay leaf and salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened about 20 min.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of lightly salted water, cook spaghetti.
Drain well.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Add spaghetti, and 1 cup of cheese to the sauce; stir gently to mix.
Transfer to a lightly oiled very large baking dish .
Sprinkle with bread crumbs and remaining cheese on top.
Bake until top is lightly browned and casserole is bubbling; Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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