Dinner
Ultimate Spaghetti Bake with Cheese
Prep Time: 45 MIN | Cook Time: 35 MIN | Servings: | Calories:
Prep Time
45 MIN
Cook Time
35 MIN
<p><span>Spaghetti Bake with Cheese is a delicious and hearty baked pasta dish that combines the flavors of spaghetti, savory tomato sauce, and gooey melted Sargento® cheese. The result is a comforting and satisfying meal with a crispy cheese crust on top and a tender, flavorful pasta base. It's often served as a main course and pairs well with a side salad or garlic bread.</span></p>
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 jar (28 ounces) of your favorite marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 lb spaghetti noodles
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup Sargento® Shredded Parmesan Natural Cheese
- 2 cups Sargento® Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella Natural Cheese
- 6 slices Sargento® Sliced Provolone Natural Cheese with Natural Smoke Flavor
- *crushed red peppers (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt; cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add ground meat mix and 1 teaspoon of the salt; cook, stirring occasionally to crumble, until well browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add marinara sauce and basil; cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tsp garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add heavy cream; cook, whisking often, until thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in Parmesan cheese and one cup of mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
- Transfer pasta and cream mixture to a greased 13x 9 baking dish; toss gently to combine. Spread meat sauce evenly over pasta and sprinkle remainder of mozzarella and lay provolone cheese on top. Add crushed red pepper, if desired.
- Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and mozzarella is lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Let stand 10
minutes before serving.
5 out of 5
With the exception of cutting back on some of the onion, I made this for the first time and it was delicious. Easy to make and nice change from many Italian dishes.