This WONDERFUL and easy-to-make/freeze/bake spaghetti casserole was shared with me by my cousin Judy who lives in Maine. You can easily adjust to your taste (spices, etc). I always make at least 2 or even more, so I'm making more than one dinner at once.
The 1st pic was this morning - I put together 2 pies, 1 to freeze + 1 to eat tonight! The 2nd pic shows tonight's pie, just out of the microwave. Add a crispy salad and crunchy garlic bread and you're golden! ALL my family members love this one! It's also popular at gatherings & on trips.Ingredients: 1 pound spaghetti noodles, 1 pound lean ground meat, 1 Tbsp. butter, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 2 jars spaghetti sauce, 1 large container cottage cheese, 1 package shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Boil 1 pound spaghetti noodles, then drain. Brown 1 pound lean ground meat, then drain.
2. Add a little butter to noodles and stir through.
3. Mix 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese into the noodles.
4. Transfer about 1/4 of the noodles to the bottom of one dish, and another 1/4 to the other dish (you should've used about 1/2 the total noodles at this point).
5. Now add ground meat to each dish on top of noodles (use about 1/4 of meat in each dish).
6. Pour about 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce over top of noodles and meat in each dish (1/2 jar in each dish, you've used 1 full jar at this point).
7. Now, repeat the same layers (remaining noodles, then remaining meat, then remaining sauce - other jar).
8. Add 1/2 container of cottage cheese (large container) on top of one dish, then add the other 1/2 cottage cheese on top of the other.
9. Lastly, add shredded mozzarella cheese as top layer of each spaghetti pie.
10. At this point, you can store in freezer (wrapped properly), store in refrigerator (to use w/in next day or two), OR immediately bake in microwave.
11.When you bake spaghetti pie, first loosely cover it, then heat at 50% power for about 12 minutes. Then, take off cover and heat at 100% power for another 12 minutes.
12. Enjoy digging in!
Hope you enjoy sharing this dish with your family and friends! It's made me quite popular at times - ha!
Linking to blog parties in sidebar
Hugs & Yums, Laurie
Hi Laurie - You might want to check out Sweet Jeanette's (sweetjeanette.blogspot.com) blog and Designs by Gollum (designsbygollum.blogspot.com), they both have Friday Link parties. Good luck with your food blog!
ReplyDeleteHi! This looks really yummy... easy to prepare!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of noodles did you use... a ziti-type pasta or regular or thin spaghetti?
thanks! ~Maria
Hi y'all! Kim, thank you for the blog suggestions - I am checking them out! And Maria, I use regular spaghetti noodles, but I'm sure you could subtitute whatever you like since you cook them ahead of baking the entire dish. Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteHey there Laurie!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in the link-up for the Freezer Foods Friday!!! It was great having ya, and I absolutely love this idea...microwave baked spaghetti pie!!! Awesome!!! Do come back on Fridays, love having you!
This looks like a great combo. I made a spaghetti pie this past week that my usually "not picky" family did not love at all ... and I needed a new inspiration. :) I feel inspired!
ReplyDelete- Julie@comehaveapeace
MMMM! Looks fantastic! And who doesn't need a new variation on the old tried-and-true spaghetti dinner? THANKS!
ReplyDeletecool! Thanks for sharing. Kelly
ReplyDelete