Monday night was my one dish meal night and I decided to make baked spaghetti. I had some sauce that I needed to use up and extra spaghetti in my pantry. Regular spaghetti I have made a million times. but this was my first time making baked spaghetti. It really wasn’t that hard and was very inexpensive.
As a one dish meal this was perfect. Fast to prepare and quick to cook. The bonus part was fast. We have Tae Kwon Do on Monday’s as a family so our dinner needs to be on the table at a certain time. also, I added something extra in it because I liked to be spontaneous and try different ingredients. My special ingredient was to switch ground beef for pepperoni. this switch turned out well.
Ingredients for Baked Spaghetti
4 cans of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves cut up
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 Tablespoon garlic
1/2 cup green pepper (cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup yellow onion (cut into small pieces)
2 packages of spaghetti
1 full block of mozzarella cheese
9×12 cooking dish
1 package of pepperoni or meat of your choice.
Preparations for One Dish Meal
Before I start cooking I set my oven to 350 degrees and grease my 9×13 cooking dish.
First I cut up all of my produce and place it in bowls. I try to get all of the chopping done first and clean up that area. Next, I portion out all of my seasonings into small bowls. This makes it easier to dump them into the sauce and move on. To save time on dishes later they can be measured and placed straight into the sauce.
Next I open all four cans of tomato sauce and pace them along with the diced tomatoes on low heat. Stir slowly as it starts to heat up. Then add each seasoning one by one. Lastly, add the produce which is cut up onion and green pepper. I let them simmer in the boiling sauce for 30 min. That way they are good and ready to be cooked so they do not stay crunchy.
Finally, I cook the spaghetti in boiling water for 8 minutes. When done, I take the spaghetti and dump it into a colander. Using a fork and running cold water I lift and separate the spaghetti in the colander. After that, I cover the bottom of a pan with sauce.
After I add sauce I place the spaghetti evenly throughout the pan. My next layer is pepperoni. Lastly is the cheese. Therefore after the first layer is created I repeat the process once more. When the dish is prepared and ready to be cooked I place tin foil over the top and place it on the top rack. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Quick Tips and Recipe Hints
This is a quick and easy one dish meal. When done, take it out of the oven and let it sit for ten minutes to cool down. I like to have my cheese firm when serving so it doesn’t disturb the layers. Frugal side dishes include homemade garlic bread or a delicious Caesar salad.
This dish will definitely have them coming back for seconds and maybe thirds!
What My Family Liked About the Baked Spaghetti
My family loved the baked spaghetti and the surprise of pepperoni. We do eat ground beef but I like to try other things to see if they go well in a recipe. This one worked and I wrote a note in my recipe card index.
After cooking a new meal that we have not had before I like to ask what they liked and what they didn’t like. All were in favor as I said for the pepperoni, and said they liked the spaghetti. One did say to try other pasta noodles the next time. His information was also taken into account and written down.
Before making a new recipe I used to be very hesitant and afraid they would not like it. As my children have aged they are not as picky as they once were and are more receptive to new foods. This dish is one I recommend and hits home with its inexpensive ingredients and quick preparation.
Please let me know in the comments if you tried this meal. I would love to see pictures. Tag me on Instagram @momsarefrugal with any variation you add.
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