Baked Spaghetti

With every busy household, spaghetti nights are really a must.  It one of the best meals to feed a lot of people for not a lot of money.  Plus, almost everyone likes spagetti.  But I do get bored with plain spagetti.  A friend of mine made this baked spaghetti recipe for me.  It changes up the spagetti just enough to keep it interesting without adding much expense.  Plus, kids love it!

This recipe can feed a crowd.  Sometimes I split it into two pans.  I freeze one unbaked for a later time.  When I pull it out of the freezer, I let it thaw and then just cook as instructed below.  This is also a great recipe to take to a friend, fresh or frozen!

If you like this recipe, you may also like 3 Cheese Lasagna or Easy Cheesy Manicotti.

Baked Spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 24 oz jar pasta sauce²

1 t sugar

1 pound dried spaghetti^1,2

2 c cottage cheese

½ c grated parmesan cheese

2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350^o.  Brown ground beef with onion in a large skillet.  Drain.  Add pasta sauce and sugar.  Simmer.  Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions.  Once pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cool water.  Mix parmesan and cottage cheeses with pasta.  Then stir in meat sauce and spread into a lightly greased 11x15 baking pan.  Top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 10

¹Make sure the pasta is egg-free.

²If following a gluten-free diet, make sure these two items are gluten-free.