We love a good dish that’s tasty, but we give it bonus points when we get to learn something in the process of making it! Prior to creating this recipe, we didn’t know what the Italian word “stupefacente” translated to in English. But once we gave Stupefacente Casserole a try, we didn’t even have to look it up because our tastebuds gave us the answer. After one bite of bouncy spaghetti baked in a creamy, herby, spinach and sausage mixture, we exclaimed, “That’s amazing!” And to our astonishment, the definition just so happened to be, “amazing.” Pretty cool, huh? You’ll have to give Stupefacente Casserole a go so you can see what we mean!
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package spaghetti, uncooked
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, well drained, and chopped
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried whole marjoram
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon tarragon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 (16-ounce) carton ricotta cheese
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
Step 1 –Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
Step 2 –Cook the spaghetti to al dente according to package directions; drain.
Step 3 –Spoon the cooked spaghetti into the prepared baking dish.
Step 4 –In a bowl, combine the spinach, cream of mushroom soup, the garlic, the marjoram, the tarragon, the salt, and the pepper.
Step 5 –Spoon the spinach mixture over the spaghetti.
Step 6 –In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage and the onion, stirring to crumble both, until the meat is browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain well.
Step 7 –Sprinkle the sausage mixture over the spinach mixture.
Step 8 –In a bowl, combine the egg and ricotta cheese and spread the mixture over the sausage mixture.
Step 9 –Cover the dish and chill for 8 hours.
Step 10 –Let the casserole stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 11 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 12 –Bake, covered with foil, until heated through, about 35-40 minutes.
Step 13 –Sprinkle with the tomato and the parsley and serve.
