Being home due to the COVID-19 pandemic is not so bad. One thing that has been a positive is I’m able to spend more time with my son. With the hustle and bustle of the work week I did not realize how much time we weren’t spending together. Early mornings plus my commute didn’t really leave much time. One thing that I am doing more is cooking! Typically, during the week, I would cook once, maybe twice with the rest of the week being something I could grab quickly. This quarantine is forcing me to be a bit more creative with meals and ingredients. I’ve made Baked Spaghetti before and it was a hit, so I put a little spin on it by using meatballs instead of ground turkey like normally. Let me tell it was DELICIOUS!! This recipe is completely flexible, and the protein can be swapped out for whatever you have on hand.
Now on to the good stuff!!
2 – 24 oz. jars of spaghetti sauce
8-10 0z. spaghetti noodles
15 oz. ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella + a sprinkle for top
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon parsley
1 egg
40 Italian Style meatballs*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pot of salted water boil the noodles until al dente. Rinse under cool water to cool down. Set aside.
Add spaghetti sauces and meatballs to a large stockpot and heat. I add salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Once heated remove from the heat. *I used about a jar and a half of the sauces; I tend to like my pasta dishes saucy so feel free to adjust to your liking.
While the sauce is heating up, mix the ricotta, parmesan, and egg in a mixing bowl. Add in the parsley and stir well.
To assemble, add a layer of sauce to a greased 9×13 pan. Next, add your noodles and top with the ricotta mixture. Follow with the meatball sauce mixture. Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes
Enjoy with a fresh garden salad and some warm toasty garlic bread!!
**I used about 40 meatballs, but you can use as many as you feel necessary.
