Baked Spaghetti with Beef
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
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 cups water
- 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 cup shredded 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.
- Let spaghetti rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 cup Calories: 368 Fat: 13g Saturated fat: 4g Carbohydrates: 44g Sodium: 972mg Fiber: 3g Protein: 18g Cholesterol: 34mg