Baked Spaghetti With Cream Cheese

Ingredients

• 16 ounces dried spaghetti (uncooked)
• 2 (24-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (divided)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• as needed olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion (diced)
• 1/2 cup sweet red pepper (ribs and seeds removed then diced)
• 4 cloves garlic, (minced)
• 12 ounces (1 1/2 -8 ounce packages) cream cheese (softened at room temperature, and cut into cubes)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1 to 2 cups french fried onions

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Butter a 9X13 inch baking dish; set aside.

2. 2

   Cook spaghetti (16 ounces) according to package directions, just until al dente. Drain well and return the cooked pasta to the original pot it was cooked in. Add 1 jar of prepared marinara sauce and toss to evenly coat the pasta.

3. 3

   In a large skillet, brown the beef (1 pound), add the Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon), salt (1 teaspoon), and pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and cook until there is no longer any pink. Remove the cooked beef to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Drain and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet. If you don't have 2 tablespoons of oil, add enough olive oil to compensate. (Just eyeball this. You only need enough oil to saute the veggies.)

4. 4

   In a medium bowl mix the cooked beef and remaining 1 jar of prepared marinara sauce.

5. 5

   Add onions (1 cup), red peppers (1/2 cup), and garlic (4 cloves) to skillet and saute until they are soft. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese (12 ounces), sour cream (1/4 cup), and Mozzarella (2 cups) to the skillet and stir until well combined. Set aside.

6. 6

   In prepared baking dish, add about 1/3 of a cup of sauce-meat mixture, and spread to cover bottom of dish.

7. 7

   Add all the spaghetti to baking dish and spread out evenly.

8. 8

   Add the cream cheese-veggie mixture to baking dish and spread out evenly.

9. 9

   Add the sauce-meat mixture to the baking dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 cups).

10. 10

    Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is baked through the center, about 25 minutes.

11. 11

    Remove the casserole and top with the french fried onions (1-2 cups) and bake another 5 minutes, watching carefully so the onions do not burn. SERVE!