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Easy baked spaghetti! This is a perfect weeknight dinner comfort food the whole family can’t resist and it’s about to be their favourite. Meaty Spaghetti Bolognese baked to perfection with cheddar and Leicester cheese.
This easy pasta baked dish is perfect with this homemade garlic bread, the flavours are amazing, simple yet delicious.
Easy homemade baked spaghetti recipe
Baked Spaghetti or spaghetti casserole is simply pasta tossed in Bolognese sauce then baked with or without white sauce like you would for lasagne. School night dinners just got better, not seen a kid turn down a good pasta bake.
This is a quite simple dish that can be made well ahead of time and it freezes well too. The leftover tastes amazing. I can go on and on about how delicious this recipe is, it is simply the best.
It is affordable and I love to make it with fresh ingredients. I don’t do store bought pasta sauce, no judgement here but I just prefer to make mine. It is easy and I can control what goes in it.
I also like to keep this pasta bake healthy by using less cheese, if you love cheese, you can make this spaghetti bake with as much cheese as your heart can take. You can choose from any melty cheese of choice, mozzarella, cheddar, gouda cheese.
There is an option for ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese. Today is all about the good ol’ cheddar cheese and red Leicester cheese. Red Leicester for a bit of colour and its nutty flavour.
Let me show you how to make the best baked spaghetti recipe under an hour or so. The spaghetti sauce i.e. Bolognese sauce can be made ahead to cut down on cooking time. The whole dish can be made in an electric pressure cooker under 20 minutes, which is what I do most times.
Ingredients
Ground beef also known as mince beef here in the UK
Spaghetti
Onions
Garlic cloves
Beef bouillon cube (beef stock) substitute with chicken or vegetable stock cubes
Tomato paste
Celery
Bell peppers; I used half of 1 red and green bell peppers
Canned chopped tomatoes (crushed tomatoes)
Bay leaves
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Worcestershire sauce substitute with brown sugar
Salt
Black Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Cheddar cheese
Red Leicester cheese
Parmesan cheese
Vegetable oil substitute with olive oil
How to make easy baked spaghetti
Start off by sautéing the chopped onions in the oil until soft and translucent, say 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the garlic, chopped red and green bell peppers, celery and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until soft.
Add the ground beef, break it up and cook until browned and no longer pink. Then season with salt, black pepper, chili flakes (if using), herb de province, Worcestershire sauce, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaves, water, lastly, crumble the chicken stock into the meat sauce and mix to combine
Simmer the meat sauce over low-medium heat for another 30 minutes or longer if you have time. Please note that the meat sauce should not be dry, it should be saucy. Add water or tomato sauce if need be to balance things out. Check for salt and adjust to preference. Remember that the cheese and spaghetti contain salt so don’t be heavy handed.
Finally, add grated parmesan to the sauce, stir to combine and remove the bay leaves
Whilst you are waiting for the sauce to simmer, boil the spaghetti until aldente, about 1 minute less than the cooking time specified on the packet. Drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven at 365F/180C
Divide the sauce into two, add one half to the cooked spaghetti and stir to combine. Then move on to assemble the spaghetti into a baking dish. Start to layer with mixed spaghetti, Bolognese sauce then grated cheese, repeat the process until you have filled the baking dish.
Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Take it out of the oven and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy.
How to store
To store this baked spaghetti in a fridge or freezer, ensure it is completely cooled and individually portioned so it is easy to reheat when needed.
This recipe would last for up 5 days in the fridge and about 2 months in the freezer.
Other pasta recipes perfect for a weeknight
Instant pot macaroni and cheese
If you made this easy baked spaghetti recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback and rate it 5 stars. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox
Easy Baked Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef also known as mince beef here in the UK
- ½ cup finely chopped onions
- 2 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 Beef bouillon cube beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 bell peppers chopped
- 400 g canned chopped tomatoes crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 1 cup red Leicester cheese
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil substitute with olive oil
- Chopped fresh parsley to garnish
To cook spaghetti
- 350 g spaghetti
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Start off by sautéing the chopped onions in the oil until soft and translucent, say 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the garlic, chopped red and green bell peppers, celery and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the ground beef, break it up and cook until browned and no longer pink. Then season with salt, black pepper, chilli flakes (if using), herb de province, Worcestershire sauce, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaves, water, lastly, crumble the chicken stock into the meat sauce and mix to combine
- Simmer the meat sauce over low-medium heat for another 30 minutes or longer if you have time. Please note that the meat sauce should not be dry, it should be saucy. Add water or tomato sauce if need be to balance things out. Check for salt and adjust to preference. Remember that the cheese and spaghetti contain salt so don’t be heavy-handed.
- Finally, add grated parmesan to the sauce, stir to combine and remove the bay leaves
- Whilst you are waiting for the sauce to simmer, boil the spaghetti until aldente, about 1 minute less than the cooking time specified on the packet. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven at 365F/180C
- Divide the sauce into two, add one half to the cooked spaghetti and stir to combine. Then move on to assemble the spaghetti into a baking dish. Start to layer with mixed spaghetti, Bolognese sauce then grated cheese, repeat the process until you have filled the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Take it out of the oven and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #THEDINNERBITE OR TAG @THEDINNERBITE ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!
Just made this and it was a big hit! Thank you!!!