Try this Cream Cheese Baked Spaghetti recipe, or contribute your own.
- • 1/2 cup sour cream
- • 1 pound spaghetti
- • 1 pound ground beef
- • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese softened
- • 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
- • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- • 1 small white onion chopped
- • 2 cloves garlic minced
- • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350º F and bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Cook pasta according to packaging directions, or until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sauté onion until softened and translucent. 6-8 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, then add minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking up into small pieces, until browned on all sides.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, then add basil, oregano and red pepper flakes.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, or until somewhat thickened.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream together until combined.
- Place drained pasta in a large baking dish and spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the pasta.
- Top with beef and tomato sauce, then sprinkle cheeses evenly over the top.
- Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and serve hot.
A bubbling casserole emerges from a 350-degree oven with golden-brown cheddar edges framing a dense, savory mantle of spiced tomato and beef. Combining pasta with a rich dairy layer creates a stable architecture that slices cleanly when portions are served. Baked pasta dishes often suffer from dryness, but dispersing softened cream cheese and sour cream directly onto the noodles retains moisture throughout the baking cycle.
Judging Doneness Visually and Texturally
Without a thermometer, determining when the casserole is finished relies entirely on surface cues. Watch for the grated cheddar and parmesan to develop light amber spotting across the top. Simultaneously, check the edges of the baking dish for vigorous bubbling of the tomato sauce, which indicates heat has penetrated to the center of the strata. This process typically requires 15 to 20 minutes of oven time.
- If the sauce remains watery around the edges, extend baking by three-minute increments until the liquid reduces.
- Should the cheese brown too quickly before the center bubbles, tent the dish loosely with aluminum foil for the final minutes.
- Ensure pasta is drained thoroughly before adding dairy to prevent excess boiling water from thinning the cream cheese mixture.
