Description
This Cheesy Baked spaghetti is traditional, but with a delicious twist! It is made super cheesy with the addition of American, and other delicious shredded cheeses, and a super flavorful sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups reserved pasta water
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups Italian cheese blend
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat and Boil: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large stockpot of water to a rapid boil and add the teaspoon of salt.
- Cook Pasta: Slowly add the pasta, separate noodles, and cook until al dente (about 7-8 minutes).
- Prepare Pasta: Reserve two cups of the cooking liquid, strain the pasta, and rinse with cold water.
- Brown Meat: In a deep skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces.
- Sauté Aromatics: Add onions and garlic; continue to stir until the beef is fully cooked.
- Drain: Use a strainer to drain the grease off of the ground beef mixture and return meat to the skillet on low-med heat.
- Make Sauce: Pour in tomato sauce and one cup of reserved pasta water.
- Season and Melt: Stir in seasonings, optional sugar, and Velveeta cheese until melted; add remaining pasta water if too thick.
- Assemble: Spray a deep casserole dish with non-stick spray, then pour in the sauce followed by the noodles.
- Mix: Add half of the mozzarella cheese and mix the sauce into the pasta and cheese.
- Topping: Sprinkle the remaining cheeses and optional fresh basil or Italian seasoning on top.
- Bake: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Broil: Remove foil and broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese.
- Rest: Remove from oven and let set for 5-7 minutes before serving.
Notes
For meat alternatives, ground turkey or non-pork Italian sausage can be used. American cheese can be swapped for ricotta, cream cheese, or cottage cheese.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 526 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 1571 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 106 mg
Keywords: cheesy baked spaghetti, spaghetti casserole, Italian inspired dinner, comfort food