Make Baked Spaghetti

Baked spaghetti provides an interesting and tasty variation on the normal way of serving spaghetti. This is a very forgiving dish and can absorb numerous leftovers if liked, or you can follow a recipe to the rule for a particular flavor. This article provides set recipes and an innovator's recipe, the latter allowing you to toss in whatever you've got in the fridge.

Ingredients

Basic ground beef baked spaghetti

  • 8 ounces/225g spaghetti, thin
  • 1 lb/450g ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 (26 ounce/740g) can or jar of spaghetti sauce
  • 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded finely
  • 1 tablespoon oregano

Spiral baked spaghetti

  • 1 package (500g) spaghetti, thick
  • Olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 450g/1 lb sieved tomatoes (or substitute with a commercial/homemade tomato puree in a bottle/jar)
  • 4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Butter or oil for greasing
  • 2/3 cup Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Innovative method (no measurements given as this is intuitive, use-what-you-have)

  • Package of spaghetti
  • Tomato sauce base
  • Veggies and other assorted tasty food items, plus herbs of choice
  • Olive oil
  • Cheese sauce
  • Salt and pepper (freshly ground)
  • Paprika

Steps

Basic Ground Beef Baked Spaghetti

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
  2. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. A dash of olive oil helps to break the surface tension and improve the cooking. When cooked, drain and set aside.
  3. Add the ground beef and garlic to the frying pan/skillet. Cook over medium heat to brown slightly.
  4. Tip in the spaghetti sauce and oregano. Mix together well.
  5. Grease the baking dish. Use butter or oil to prevent the spaghetti from sticking to the dish.
  6. Ladle one third of the boiled spaghetti into the baking dish.
  7. Top with one third of the spaghetti sauce. Add one third of the cheese as well.
  8. Repeat this layering method two more times until all of the ingredients have been used up.
  9. Finish with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese.
  10. Place in the oven. Bake at 350ºF/180ºC for 25-30 minutes. Don't over-bake or the spaghetti will harden.
  11. Remove from the oven. Serve using a pasta ladle. Add a side salad and some garlic bread to complete the meal.

Spiral Baked Spaghetti

  1. Boil the spaghetti with a dash of olive oil. When cooked, remove from the heat, drain and set aside.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Grease the baking dish in readiness for use.
  3. Add the crushed garlic, chopped onion, sieved tomatoes and basil pieces to a large frying pan or skillet. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat until simmering. Cook for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
  4. Add the spaghetti to a round baking dish. Curl it around and around, following the circle shape of the dish. Layer it as you curl.
    • Pack it as tightly as possible.
  5. Pour the tomato mixture over the top of the spaghetti spirals. Use a fork to push the sauce down deeper between the layers of spaghetti. The sauce needs to reach the base of the spaghetti.
  6. Sprinkle the top of the dish with the grated cheese.
  7. Place in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. When it's bubbling and crisp, it's ready to remove from the oven.
  8. Serve. Cut in wedges and plate up. Add a side salad for completion.

Innovative Method

This method is ideal for the cook who isn't keen on measurements and just wants a quick meal. It's very forgiving, so don't worry about whether or not there is enough, it'll stretch!

  1. Cook the spaghetti. For many servings, cook the whole package. For only a few servings, cook half. When cooked, strain and set aside.
  2. Rummage through the fridge. Pull out what needs using up, from leftover cooked veggies to beans and pieces of meat. Chop into small pieces.
    • Open a can of beans or lentils, rinse and add to the ingredient selection to make this more substantial.
  3. Add a dollop of olive oil to the frying pan. Briefly fry the chopped ingredients and herbs to freshen and enliven them again.
  4. Pour in the tomato sauce. At least a half bottle of pasta sauce is probably needed to coat the spaghetti. Judge it by what seems right. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper (freshly ground).
  5. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
  6. Make the cheese sauce if you haven't done so already. If this is to be dairy-free, make a white sauce instead (ideal for vegans).
  7. Arrange the spaghetti in the baking dish. Simply dump it in to fill the dish.
  8. Pour the tomato sauce mixture all over the spaghetti. Swish around with a wooden spoon or fork until the spaghetti is completely covered.
  9. Spoon the cheese or white sauce over the top of the spaghetti until well covered. Sprinkle with paprika to complete.
  10. Place in the oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes at approximately 350ºF/180ºC. Don't overcook it, just long enough for the topping to start browning and bubbling.
  11. Remove from the oven. Serve using a pasta ladle. Add a side salad.

Tips

  • Side salad and garlic bread are good accompaniments for baked spaghetti.
  • Any dish used for baking spaghetti needs to be ovenproof. Check the label if you're not sure.

Things You'll Need

  • Large frying pan or skillet
  • Pan or pot for cooking spaghetti
  • Large baking dish with high sides (a large lasagna dish is ideal); however, note that the curled method requires a large round baking dish
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Mixing spoons/pasta ladle
  • Serving ladle and plates

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Sources and Citations

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