Marsha's Baked Spaghetti

I came across a recipe for baked spaghetti once, but when I made it, it came out super dry and bland, especially when all the noodles sucked up the sauce. So, upon stumbling across another recipe, I took what I learned from my first attempt, tweaked a few things, and came up with my very own baked spaghetti recipe! It was a BIG hit at dinner, which is fantastic because it makes a TON. My tendency to change up recipes lead me to remark to Scott, "The way I cook and use recipes is kind of like the Pirate's Code; it's more guidelines than actual rules, really." Ha, ha! Scott's reply was, "That's what makes you such a great cook!"

Marsha's Baked Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 (24 ounce) cans Hunts Spaghetti Sauce (your favorite flavor)
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Maddox Seasoning)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2-1/3+ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted but cooled (to not scramble the eggs)
• 2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 4+ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the 3/4 of your spaghetti sauce (reserve the other 1/4) and the seasoned salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti and run under cold water until no longer steaming; add to egg mixture and toss to coat. *Make sure noodles and butter are cool so your eggs don't scramble.
3. Place the 1/4 of reserved sauce in the bottom of a greased 15x11 baking dish (slightly larger dish than a 9x13). Then, place half of the spaghetti mixture in dish on top of sauce. Top with half of the cottage cheese, half the meat sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan and half of the mozzarella cheese (or enough to cover a thin layer). Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F (on convection, if you have it) for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and center reaches 160 degrees.

*You can use jarred spaghetti sauce too, just be aware that there are a few extra ounces in the jars compared to the Hunts cans, so you may or may not want to use it all. I also found that this really crowded my 9x13 pan, so I prefer to use my slightly larger 15x11 pan. If you are worried about spillage in your oven, I like to place a cookie sheet one rack lower than my spaghetti in the oven to catch all the drips and keep my oven clean.