Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti

This easy million dollar spaghetti is family-friendly comfort food!

Ingredients:

• 1 jar of marinara sauce (or your preferred spaghetti sauce), split into equal parts to measure 24 ounces
• Uncooked spaghetti weighing 8 ounces
• a quarter of a pound of ground beef or chopped Italian sausage
• First, a block of cream cheese, eight ounces in size, softened at room temperature
• You can substitute cottage cheese for one cup of ricotta cheese.
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• melted butter equal to one tablespoon
• 1 milligram of this Italian seasoning
• One-half teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese blend, which is approximately 4 ounces (you can substitute shredded mozzarella for this).
• Granulated Parmesan cheese, two tablespoons’ worth
• To taste, kosher salt and ground black pepper are included.
• Fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, or thyme, chopped and applied as a garnish are optional.

Instructions:

Turn the oven on to 350°F. Use nonstick frying spray or grease a 2-quart baking dish. Cover the bottom of the pan with a very thin layer of marinara sauce (approximately ¼ cup). Put aside.

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente. Drain.

Brown the ground beef or sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until it is no longer pink while the spaghetti cooks. Eliminate surplus oil. Add the remaining marinara sauce and stir. If desired, add salt and pepper after tasting.

Spread half of the spaghetti mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture and then half of the remaining meat sauce over top. Repeat the layers with the remaining spaghetti mixture, the remaining cream cheese mixture, and the remaining meat sauce. Finish by sprinkling the shredded Italian cheese and grated Parmesan cheese over top.

Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown on top and the sauce is bubbling. If you want the cheese on top to get even crispier and browner, broil the dish for one or two minutes. Ten to fifteen minutes should pass before slicing and serving. If desired, garnish with finely chopped fresh herbs.

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