Baked spaghetti was my mom's go-to dish when we came home from school and wanted something fun to eat. Tender noodles with bits of browned beef and a herb seasoned sauce-kids of any age will love it.
Recipe type: Meaty Mediterranean Lunches
Serves: 10 cups
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
[1/2] medium green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and finely chopped
2 TB. minced garlic
4 TB. extra-virgin olive oil
2 (16-oz.) can plain tomato sauce
1 (16-oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 TB.tomato paste
2 cupswater
2 TB.sugar
2[1/2] tsp.salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
[1/3] cup fresh basil, chopped
3 TB. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
[1/2] tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
[1/2] tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb.spaghetti
1 cupshredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a large, 3-quart pot over medium heat, brown beef for 5 minutes, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon.
Stir in yellow onion, green bell pepper, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, water, sugar, 1[1/2] teaspoons salt, oregano, thyme, basil, Italian parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and stir. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
Bring another large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and spaghetti, and boil for 8 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
Drain spaghetti, and pour into a large casserole dish. Add pasta sauce, and toss to combine. Cover with a piece of aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the casserole dish from the oven, remove the foil, and evenly sprinkle mozzarella cheese over spaghetti. Return the casserole dish to the oven, and bake for 15 more minutes.