Description
A comforting and cheesy baked spaghetti dish featuring Italian sausage and a rich tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb. thin spaghetti
- 3 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 small onion (may sub 2 tsps. onion powder)
- 1 carrot (optional)
- 1 stalk celery (optional)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (optional for more heat)
- 2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes in puree
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon (base, crushed cubes or powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (more or less to taste; more if carrot’s omitted)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil (may sub 3 tablespoons minced fresh)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (may sub 3 tablespoons minced fresh)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (may sub evaporated milk)
- fresh parsley (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until 1 minute shy of al dente. Strain and rinse with cold water.
- Roughly chop onion, celery, and carrot just so they fit in your food processor. Pulse until finely chopped (about 12 pulses), or chop by hand.
- In a large Dutch oven, brown sausage and onion/celery/carrots over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 more seconds. Discard excess grease (if there is any).
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, bouillon, sugar, all seasonings, and bay leaf.
- Cover, leaving about a 1-inch gap, and gently simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the heavy cream. Add the spaghetti and toss with tongs until evenly coated.
- Evenly layer half of the spaghetti in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with the Parmesan and 1 ½ cups mozzarella. Top with remaining spaghetti, including any leftover sauce in the pan. Top with remaining 1 ½ cups mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake a few more minutes for toasted cheese if desired. Garnish with fresh parsley (optional).
Notes
- For a milder dish, omit the red pepper flakes.
- Feel free to substitute the vegetable ingredients with more onion powder or leave out the optional veggies.
- If you prefer a plant-based version, use vegetarian sausage and substitute the heavy cream with a dairy-free alternative.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 70mg