Layered Spaghetti Casserole

I absolutely love layers.

Layered clothes on cold days.

Layered blankets on cold nights.

Layered colors on a blank canvas.

Even layered foods on my bare plate.

Just when you think what you see is what you get, there's a whole other level of deliciousness waiting to start a party on your taste buds. That's why multi-layered cakes are so awesome.

casserole cake?

Well, today I was still on my quest to continue with savory tasties. The experience of making dinner the night before wasn't that bad. It was even, dare I say, FUN. I don't know what I was so afraid of.

Now I can see why mom enjoys cooking so much. It's such an interactive activity, if you're cooking with someone, and there are so many possibilities when it comes to flavors and textures. I guess this can apply to baking too, but baking has such a...scientific, procedural approach to it. It's essentially food chemistry. If you get your measurements wrong, there goes your final product. Well, that's just my experience. Maybe I need to learn to have more fun with my food and not worry too much about burning stuff.

Oops, let's not get too far off onto a tangent...

The funny thing about my mom's love of cooking is that...she's also never cooked before when she was about my age. And in her first time trying to stir-fry some vegetables, she would stand about 5 feet away from the wok, trying to flip these little green things around with a pair of wooden chopsticks.

AUNT: Oh my! What are you doing???

MOM: What does it look like I'm doing? *beaming* I'm cooking! :D

AUNT: Well, then why are you standing so far away from the stove? You can't see the food or tend to it.

MOM: I don't want to get burned...

Well, there you have it folks. I blame my mom for my fear of flying oil splatters. Okay, okay, I'm only half kidding.

In her early adventures of learning to cook, my aunt taught her to make one of her very first American (okay, Italian...non-Asian) dishes: SPAGHETTI! And over the years the flavors of the dish evolved ever so slightly:

spaghetti + sauce

spaghetti + sauce + ground beef

spaghetti + sauce + precooked frozen meatballs

spaghetti + sauce + fried smoked sausages

For me, every evolved state included a hint of Tabasco.

For my first time making spaghetti, though, I wanted something different. More than just the standard layers of spaghetti, sauce, and Tabasco. I wanted layers of sauces, and meats, and ooey, gooey cheese. And like a hunter-gatherer in search of the next meal in the wilderness, I found an awesome blossom recipe on the interwebs.

I thank thee, internet, for making my the party on my taste buds happenin'.

Layered Spaghetti Casserole a.k.a. Scooter's Spaghetti

Adapted from Salad In A Jar

Makes 12 servings in a 9x13-inch baking dish

ingredients

16 ounces uncooked spaghetti

2 pounds ground beef

2 jars spaghetti sauce (~48 ounces)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 an onion, chopped

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup milk

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

French Fried Onions (small container)

*notes*

• I added a bit of canola oil (or olive oil is better, but I didn't have any) to the cooked spaghetti after setting it aside for a few minutes so it wouldn't stick too much.
• This recipe is actually double the one from the original site. This is because I had a slightly larger baking dish and I also wanted the final product to have a lot of height.
• With using 2 sauce jars, I chose 2 different ones for layers of flavor: meat and roasted garlic & herb.
• Entire dish can be made ahead of time, up to step #5, and refrigerated or frozen. Don't add the French Fried Onions until 5 minutes before the casserole is finished cooking.

   

equipment prep:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

make spaghetti:

1. Cook spaghetti according to the package directions. Cook to al dente (about 9 minutes), drain, then set aside.

2. Cook ground beef until brown, and drain excess grease. Combine beef and spaghetti sauce in saucepan and heat.

3. Combine onions and the butter in a skillet and cook until onions are soft.

4. Combine the buttered, cooked onions, softened cream cheese, and milk until well mixed. If mixture is not soft enough to spread, microwave the mixture for 20-30 seconds.)

5. Assemble accordingly:

1. (First a thin layer of the meat sauce.) Spaghetti; 2. Cream cheese mixture; 3. Spaghetti meat sauce;
4. Parmesan cheese

bake:

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Then remove the dish from the oven, top with French Fried Onions, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

enjoy:

Let that cream cheese just melt over your spaghetti and savor each taste. I'm sure it'll be going on many people's list of comfort foods.

*random*

While writing this post, it reminded me of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Quite random, and it has nothing to do with this post at all. However, it is an interesting read.