Baked Spaghetti Casserole

• Spaghetti noodles - the star of the show
• Ground beef - seasoned with salt, pepper & garlic powder for a hearty, flavorful meat sauce
• Onion & green pepper - to add flavor
• Cream of mushroom soup - gives the sauce the hint of creaminess it needs
• Spaghetti sauce - your favorite jar of store-bought sauce makes this casserole so easy!
• Italian seasoning - to drive the Italian flavors home
• Mozzarella cheese - is it even a pasta dish without cheese?

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti al dente according to box instructions. To cook the pasta al dente, I boil the noodles for the shortest time listed on the box instructions. This ensures the pasta doesn't get mushy since it will be baked in the oven. Drain and set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper & break apart into small pieces. Continue cooking until meat is no longer pink. Drain any grease from the hamburger.
3. Add onion and green pepper and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Add the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
4. To the mixing bowl add cooked noodles, spaghetti sauce, cream of mushroom soup and Italian seasoning.
5. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted & bubbly. Serve hot!

Baked Spaghetti Casserole is one of those dishes that makes great leftovers! This recipe makes a large amount, so it's likely you will have some leftovers. To save time, it can also be assembled ahead of time and baked when you are ready to serve it.

This Baked Spaghetti Casserole is also freezer-friendly! Assemble the casserole in a disposable foil baking dish and instead of baking it, cover it tightly with foil, and place it in the freezer. Ideally, it would save time to thaw the casserole in the fridge before reheating. To reheat, bake the spaghetti in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes. If it's still frozen, add on 15-20 minutes to the cooking time until it reaches 165 degrees internally.

The fact that this Baked Spaghetti Casserole is so freezer-friendly makes it a great dish to make and share with others. Assemble the casserole along with instructions for reheating, pair it with some garlic bread and a bag of salad, and you have a complete meal you can gift to a new mom or a new family that joined the neighborhood.

The act of sharing a meal with someone is such a gift for the person receiving it, as well as the person gifting it. It may seem like such a simple task, but it can really mean the world to someone to have this seemingly simple job taken care of, even if just for one night.

Other popular comfort food recipes:

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

Hamburger Casserole

Pot Roast

Wild Rice Hot Dish

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