Cream Cheese Spaghetti Bake

I made this recipe for dinner last night. We love spaghetti so I pinned a couple of different recipes on Pinterest that put a little twist on plain 'ol spaghetti. This was pretty quick and easy to make. The only extra ingredient was cream cheese, so it was very inexpensive to make. Greg and I both liked it and having things that cook in the oven for 30+ minutes are perfect because I can whip it up and throw it in the oven, we can bathe the boys, read them their stories, and put them to bed, and then dinner is ready. It works out perfect for the way we do things right now.

Cream Cheese Spaghetti Bake

12 oz spaghetti
1 (28 ounce) jars prepared spaghetti sauce
1 lb lean ground beef (I used venison)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350* F degrees

In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.

Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl. Add cream cheese, Italian Seasoning and minced garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.

Lightly grease a 9x13" pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

 

Some Recipes

This week I tried 3 new recipes, Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken, Taco Pasta, and Crockpot Chicken and Dressing. The taco pasta wasn't that great, but the other two recipes turned out good.

The jalapeno popper stuffed chicken was amazing. I loved it. It was easy and all the ingredients were things you probably already have at home except for the jalapenos. I think Greg would have liked it better if it had a sauce. But, I liked it enough for the both of us, so we'll be having it again for sure. Instead of frying it like the recipe said, I just baked mine in the oven--easier and healthier.

Source: cassiecraves.blogspot.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Crockpot Chicken and Dressing was really good, but I only cook crock pot meals because they're quick and easy. In this recipe you have to cook the chicken first, made two pans of corn bread, hardboil some eggs, etc. I liked the fact that it was in the crock pot cooking in the late afternoon and I didn't have to worry about trying to deal with dinner and feed & bathe the boys. And it was really tasty, but just know that it's not as quick and easy as some other crock pot meals.

Source: None via Samantha on Pinterest

I'm going to post the Taco Pasta recipe so I'll have it noted that it wasn't that great. If I don't document it, then in a few months, I'll come across that recipe again and think "Hmm..that looks good, I should try it". I actually make this really good recipe that is one pound of ground beef, a box of velveeta shells and cheese and one cup of salsa. It's fast, cheap, easy, and delicious. This reminded me of that recipe but not as good.

Source: colleenandkeith.blogspot.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Monday's Meals--Red & White Tortellini

I'm linking up with Lindsey on "A Love Worth Waiting For" for Monday's Meals. I had to post this recipe, it is the easiest dish to make! I made it last month and froze it and we just baked it last night and it was delicious! I didn't get any pictures because I didn't have any time before Greg dug into it. He was waiting in front of the oven, watching it bake the last couple of minutes and the second the timer went off, he dug in. I made this dish in less than 5 minutes, you just mix the ingredients and bake (or freeze), it's that easy. I did add frozen meatballs to mine even though it's not listed on the ingredients. enjoy!

Red & White Tortellini
Ingredients:
•2 (10 oz.) pkgs. refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini, uncooked
•28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
•1 cup water
•12 oz. jar Alfredo four cheese sauce
•1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In 3 quart glass baking dish, mix tortellini, spaghetti sauce, and water. Make sure all tortellini is coated with sauce. Drop Alfredo cheese sauce by spoonfuls over casserole. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer, until tortellini is tender

Baked Spaghetti

While my mom was here last, I made some meals and froze them. I love having meals already made and all we have to do is take them out and bake them. Of course it's nice to have fresh, homecooked meals, but freezing them really saves us a lot of time and makes our week nights go so much smoother. I made a few recipes that we haven't had before, so it's been fun trying some new things. Tonight we had Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti. It was so easy to make and it's basically spaghetti with some melted cheese--what's not to like? Greg and I will definitely be having this again. I've linked up with Lindsey for her "Monday's Meals" post. And I apologize for the picture quality, it was dark in our kitchen and I just could not get a decent picture.

Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
1 lb browned and seasoned ground Beef (Italian sausage can be substituted)*I used hot Italian sausage
3/4 lb.spaghetti, cooked
1 jar (approx 15 oz) of your favorite pasta sauce
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large sauce pan, simmer meat and tomato sauce together. Toss the cooked noodles in the sauce.

To Assemble: Spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. Spoon half of the noodle mixture into the dish. Pack it down lightly and sprinkle on half of the cheese. Add the other half of the spaghetti, pack down lightly and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with a green salad and crusty garlic bread.