Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti
A baked spaghetti casserole that’s amazingly cheesy and creamy. It’s comfort food at its best, and EASIEST!
I know. It’s the day after Labor Day, we’re just about to start football season, and I post this instead of some sort of post-Labor-Day-juice-cleanse-quinoa-health-kick type recipe.
Sorry guys, but you’ll need your stretchy pants for this.
It’s pure comfort food at its best – so no. It is not diet-friendly. It is not skinny. It is not light. It’s just the best kind of spaghetti.
It’s a spaghetti casserole with layers of pasta noodles, cream cheese and sour cream, and a meaty-marinara sauce, baked to cheesy perfection.
It’s enough to feed a crowd or feed a party of two all week long. You win either way.
Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
2-In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
3-Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and onion and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drain excess fat.
4-Stir in crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5-In a small bowl, whisk together cream cheese and sour cream.
6-Add pasta to the prepared baking dish and layer with cream cheese and beef mixture; sprinkle with cheeses.
7-Place into oven and bake until bubbly and heated through, about 15-20 minutes.
8-Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
This recipe is a great source of many key nutrients needed during pregnancy: iron, folate, calcium, and protein. This is a smart choice for all your expecting mamas out there!
Nutritional information provided by Jessica Penner, RD at Smart Nutrition.
by:damndelicious.net
