BEST BAKED SPAGHETTI

Hi All!  Hope this post finds you doing fabulous today!  I cannot believe that it has been almost 3 months since my last post.  I have really been slacking up on the job but I promise that I'll do much better in the future.  I've got tons of recipes that I am dying to try out.

So here's the scenario:  it's Sunday afternoon and you have to prepare dinner for your family but you're not in the mood to go through a whole lot of trouble.  You need something quick and simple but not hot dog kind of simple, right?  How about spaghetti?  Sure that works but maybe it's a little bit too run-of-the-mill.  Well, I've got the perfect way to jazz it up. 

What I have prepared for you today is Baked Spaghetti.  You veteran cooks out there probably know all about Baked Spaghetti but this was a new adventure for me.  I found this recipe on www.bosssanders.com and it's called Best Baked Spaghetti.  Believe me when I tell you that the title is well deserved.  

Special Notes:  This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and 1 clove of garlic, minced.  I was going to buy some Italian Seasoning but when I read the ingredients on the side of the bottle, I decided to make my own because I had all of those same spices in my cabinet.  Here's a quick little recipe for homemade Italian Seasoning......mix 1 tsp of the following in a small bowl until well combined: basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley, garlic powder and onion powder.

***Additional Notes:  Thanks to my friend Jetta for bringing something to my attention:-)  The recipe calls for a 28 oz jar of spaghetti sauce; however, the largest jar of sauce that I could find was 24 oz.  Whenever I use spaghetti sauce from the jar, there is always a little bit of sauce leftover in the bottom and I usually just add a little bit of water to thin it out just enough so that it all pours out.  This probably made up the difference in those 4 oz.  I have several suggestions for this situation:  (1) you could use my trick and just add a little water; (2) buy a small can of tomato sauce to make up the difference or (3) instead of using the whole 12 oz package of spaghetti, use only 3/4 of the package and save the rest for next time.  Either way, it should turn out great!      

Final Thoughts:  Look at this photo.  Enough said.

Ingredients:
12 oz spaghetti
1 (28 ounce) jars prepared spaghetti sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
2.  In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.

3. Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl. Add cream cheese, Italian Seasoning and minced garlic.

4.  Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.

5.  Lightly grease a 9×13″ pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish.

6.  Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses on top as desired.

7.  Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.