Skillet Baked Spaghetti

I have been super bad about making weeknight dinners the last couple weeks. I just haven’t felt very motivated. I was starting to get sick of grilled cheeses and toast with cereal so I decided to buck up and get back to it.

I went through some of my millions of cooking magazines for some inspiration. When I saw this recipe in Cook’s Country Skillet dinners I knew I had to make it asp!

This skillet baked spaghetti was awesome. Super easy, defiantly quick enough for a weeknight and my in house taste tester literally gave it 2 thumbs up!

Here is what you need,

12 oz lean ground beef

4 oz hot Italian sausage, removed from the casing
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes
8 oz spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
2 cups of water
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup heavy cream
6 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup Kraft shredded Italian cheese

Start by adjusting your oven rack to the upper middle position and heating the broiler.

Cook beef and sausage in an oven safe non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Note: I don’t have an oven safe skillet, so I had to cook everything in my regular skillet then transfer it to an oven safe baking dish. This worked just fine! But an oven safe skillet is going on my Christmas list!!

Once the meat is browned and no longer pink, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Pour off all the fat from the skillet. Return the browned meat to the skillet and add the minced garlic, pepper flakes and oregano. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the tomatoes, spaghetti, water and salt. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the spaghetti begins to soften this should take 7-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to simmer, covered, until spaghetti is el dente, another 7-8 minutes.

Stir in the cream, basil and 1/3 cup of the cheese.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the top is browned and bubbly.

Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

I was surprised at how much flavour this dish has! That little bit of Italian sausage sure adds a nice kick and all that fresh basil, well you just can’t go wrong!

A nice side salad and this is another perfect weeknight meal!

Jen

 
Recipe from Cook's Country-Skillet Suppers Magazine