Recipe Background
Hope you're hungry because Saucy Southern Baked Spaghetti serves the masses and doesn't mess around when it comes to flavor! This version of warm, cheesy, creamy, baked, tender and bouncy spaghetti noodles bring a little bit of sass and a whole lot of yumminess. It's ideal for a big gathering or when you want to have lots and lots of leftovers for the week ahead. Serve Saucy Southern Baked Spaghetti with your favorite crusty garlic bread and you've got yourself a feisty Italian feast!
Hope you're hungry because Saucy Southern Baked Spaghetti serves the masses and doesn't mess around when it comes to flavor! This version of warm, cheesy, creamy, baked, tender and bouncy spaghetti noodles bring a little bit of sass and a whole lot of yumminess. It's ideal for a big gathering or when you want to have lots and lots of leftovers for the week ahead. Serve Saucy Southern Baked Spaghetti with your favorite crusty garlic bread and you've got yourself a feisty Italian feast!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- seasoned salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 1/2 cup green peppers chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 1/2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons red wine
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons basil chopped
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 3-4 cups mozzarella cheese or Italian blend cheese shredded
- parsley to taste, for garnish
Directions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the oil.
- Add the ground beef, the Italian sausage, the seasoned salt, the pepper, the onion, and the green pepper to the oil and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the meat is no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the meat mixture and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the red wine, the chicken stock, the Italian seasoning, the sugar, and the red pepper flakes to the meat mixture and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 30-40 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, in a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, the egg, the basil, the parmesan cheese, and the salt and mix until it is combined.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti to all dente according to the package directions.
- Drain the spaghetti and rinse with cold water.
- Return the spaghetti to the pot, top with the cooked sauce, and toss to combine.
- In the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked spaghetti.
- Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top of the spaghetti and top with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the layering process once starting with the spaghetti and ending with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the spaghetti mixture until it is golden-brown and the cheese is bubbly, about 35-45 minutes.
- Let the spaghetti bake set, about 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the spaghetti bake with the parsley and serve.
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