Description
A cheesy, comforting baked casserole combining spaghetti with creamy cream cheese, meat sauce, and melted cheeses for a hearty family meal.
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 (28‑oz) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 (8‑oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch garlic salt
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13‑inch baking pan.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until tender but still firm (al dente), about 12 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium‑high heat, cook the ground beef until browned and crumbly (5‑7 minutes). Drain off excess fat. Stir in the spaghetti sauce.
- In a large bowl, add the drained spaghetti, cream cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. Stir until the cream cheese melts and coats the spaghetti evenly.
- Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Layer the coated spaghetti on top. Pour the remaining meat sauce over the spaghetti.
- Sprinkle Parmesan and mozzarella over the top.
- Bake in the oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can make this ahead of time: assemble and refrigerate; bake when ready.
- If stored after refrigerating, you may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- Use room‑temperature cream cheese (or cut into small pieces) so it melts more easily and mixes better.
- Variations: substitute turkey or chicken for ground beef, or add vegetables like onions or bell peppers to the meat sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece (1/12 of recipe)
- Calories: 331
- Sugar: ≈7 g
- Sodium: ≈463 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: ≈7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Cholesterol: 54 mg
