Baked Spaghetti Has All The Comfort Of Lasagna And Is As Easy Or Elaborate As You Want

Comfort is a given when you have a pan of lasagna baking in the kitchen. For a lot of us, this dish is the ultimate comfort food, a flavorful hug gathered in messy mouthfuls. And as it turns out, you can say the same for baked spaghetti, only this dish is made with half the effort. After all, they do share the same hearty, rich ingredients, both brought to life by the heat of the oven. When the craving strikes and you don't have time for an elaborate lasagna, take a page out of Tasting Table's very own easy baked spaghetti recipe and pamper your taste buds all the same.

It starts no differently than if you were making a regular pot of meatball spaghetti. Just boil the pasta until al dente and prepare the sauce in the meantime. As always, simmer onion, crushed tomatoes, dried basil, and browned ground beef together. Enriching the dish even further, recipe developer Stephane Rapone also made a bechamel sauce from melted butter, Parmesan cheese, milk, and eggs, seasoned with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Finally, bring everything together in a baking pan, with the sauce-drenched pasta evenly spread out, covered in grated cheese, and ladled with bechamel sauce. Repeat the process with another layer, and bake the foil-covered dish for about 40 minutes. Once done, top it off with some more cheese, bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, and your dinner is all set.

Baked spaghetti can always get so much easier. The sauce, for example, does not need to be made from scratch. Pop open a store-bought jar of marinara or alfredo sauce, or maybe even a can of cream of mushroom soup, and you will have saved a great deal of effort. Even simpler, you can make the most of your leftover spaghetti from last night's meal and just use it for this baked dish. Smothered in sauces, cheese, and a sensational warmth, it will taste good as new.

Conversely, twists and changes are also possible with this versatile dish. Switching up the cheese varieties will give you a new dish each time. Try ricotta for a milky, creamy spin, low-moisture mozzarella to elevate that cheesy pull, or use a little bit of everything. Similarly, there's more to baked spaghetti than just ground beef. Ground turkey or chicken certainly does the trick. Different types of sausage, whether it is chorizo, andouille, or salami, can all bring the savory kick this dish needs. And you can hardly go wrong with fresh produce, either. Bell peppers, spinach, herbs, mushrooms, legumes — all are stellar options for earthy pops of flavors to cut through that decadent richness. As fall draws closer, find inspiration in the seasonal fruits and veggies growing in your garden. Can you imagine just how gorgeous a pan of butternut squash baked pasta will be as the centerpiece to your weeknight dinners?