Cheesy, saucy, and rich; three words that prick up the ears of any hungry listener, and three words that perfectly describe The Best Spaghetti Casserole! Each tender strand of spaghetti is coated in a creamy herbaceous sauce and a beefy tomato meat sauce. That’s right, two sauces at once! Topped with melted, nutty parmesan, The Best Spaghetti Casserole is… well, it’s simply the best!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (26-ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- fresh basil leaves, optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Lightly grease a 9×13-inch pan.
Step 3 –In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 4 –Drain the grease from the skillet.
Step 5 –Stir the spaghetti sauce into the beef.
Step 6 –Cook the spaghetti to al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 7 –Drain the spaghetti and transfer it to a large bowl.
Step 8 –Add the cream cheese, the Italian seasoning, and the minced garlic to the spaghetti and stir until the cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.
Step 9 –Spread a small amount of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Step 10 –Add the spaghetti on top of the sauce layer and then top it with the remaining meat sauce.
Step 11 –Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of the meat sauce layer.
Step 12 –Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Step 13 –Serve garnished with the basil.
