Baked Spaghetti Dinner

 

 

So, you say spaghetti is spaghetti.  I mean you boil the noodles and throw in a jar of sauce and stir it all up, right?  Sure, you could do that.  But if you want delicious, you take the extra steps.  If you want real Italian, you put in the extra effort. And if you want to impress your friends and family and have them rave over your meal, you go the extra mile.  You will love this recipe! It’s hearty and delicious and perfect for that weeknight Italian dinner that will knock their socks off!  All you need is a side salad and some crusty Italian bread.

Baked Spaghetti Dinner

1 16 ounce box spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

32 ounces Ragu Chunky Tomato, Garlic, Onion Sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings

2 eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

5 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

16 ounces ricotta cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper, and Italian seasonings.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter.  Drain spaghetti and cool slightly; add spaghetti to the egg mixture and toss to coat.

 

Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with half of the ricotta cheese, half the meat sauce and half the mozzarella cheese. 

 

Repeat layers of sauce, noodles and cheese.

 

 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then uncover.

 

Bake for 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes until cheese sets and casserole is easy to slice.

 

 

Cut into squares and serve.

Serve with some crusty bread and a side salad for a delicious dinner!

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Hom

Rigatoni with Meatballs Pasta Bake

This baked Rigatoni with Meatballs is always a favorite and perfect to service dinner guests. Soft and savory meatballs are so good they melt in your mouth. This is a comforting, rich baked Italian meal. Meatball Rigatoni combines juicy chicken meatballs with rigatoni in a simple tomato sauce smothered with cheese.

 Rigatoni with Meatballs Pasta Bake

  Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2/3 cup evaporated milk (one small can)

3 slices of white bread, crusts removed

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup of flour

1/3 cup olive oil

 

Heat the milk in a small pot until steamy but not boiling. Turn off the heat, tear the bread into little pieces and soak it in the milk. Mash the mixture until you get something that resembles mashed potatoes. Remove from pot and let it cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, eggs, salt, parsley, oregano, black pepper, garlic cloves and the bread-milk mixture. Mix it well but gently with your hands.  You want it to stay lose and not pack it tight. 

Make meatballs with your hands.  I make mine about 4 inches across for this recipe. But you can make whatever size you like. Add the flour to a shallow bowl and roll each meatball in it to give a light coating.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat your olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides.  They will not be cooked all the way through at this stage but will finish cooking in the sauce.

 In the meantime, boil your pasta according to package directions and drain well.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toss noodles with your favorite sauce and pour in a 9 x 13 baking dish. After browning the meatballs, lay them in the sauce and turn them to coat on all sides.  Top with Parmesan Cheese and Mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

 Garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread for dipping!  Oh Yum.

Notes

Feel free to use your favorite tomato sauce.

You can use whatever pasta you like but I do think the bigger pastas work best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

 

Southern Green Beans and Potatoes

 

This was my favorite dish growing up. It still is.  My Mom would 

get fresh green beans from her garden and we would sit on the 

back porch and “snap” them as we talked.  She would start off

with chicken broth she had stored in the freezer from a chicken she 

had boiled.  Then she would add a couple ham hocks or shanks from

her last Easter ham.  She would add potatoes and let them simmer on

top of the stove all day.  We could always tell we were having beans

when she had cornbread in the oven.  These are to die for.

 

Southern Green Beans and Potatoes

2 quarts water

2 meaty smoked ham hocks or ham bone

2 pounds fresh green beans

1 carton of Chicken Stock

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

1 cup chopped onion

1-pound potatoes, chopped into chunks (about 3-4 medium)

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Rinse, trim and snap green beans in half. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fill pot with water and add ham bone or hocks.  Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium boil and cook for 30 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add your beans to the pot and drop in your bouillon cube or powder.  Add the onion and black pepper and bring back up to a boil for about 10 minutes. Reduce to a very low simmer, and cook, uncovered for 1 hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove hocks and set aside.  When they are cool enough to handle pull the meat off the bone and add to the pot of beans. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add potatoes and continue cooking on medium until tender, about 25 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.