Skillet Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce {Foodie Friday}

Ah spaghetti. I love spaghetti. It's a quick, easy and delicious meal. It's one of the few dishes my daughter, Caroline will eat, so it is served at our house just about weekly. I was flipping through America's Test Kitchen cookbook when I stumbled on this recipe that said I could make the whole meal in one pot. Say What?!

As the resident dishwasher at our house, I was so excited. One pot for meat, noodles and sauce. My manicure thanks you (who am I kidding. I haven't had a manicure in years) It took me half a dozen tries to get the recipe to my liking. This is not your typical Spaghetti recipe. This has literally changed my life. I love it and look forward to making it every time. I know your family will love it too!

One Year Ago: Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
Two Years Ago: Snickerdoodles

Skillet Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp dried oregano (or a lot of the fresh stuff, chopped)

1 23.5 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce

10 ounces spaghetti, broken into rough 2 inch pieces

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

3 TB chopped fresh basil

1 cup italian cheese blend (I use shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan)

Directions:

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the broiler. Cook the beef in a large oven safe nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Pour off the fat from the skillet. Add the garlic, pepper flakes, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the spaghetti sauce, water, and salt. Slowly add the spaghetti while stirring (this is to prevent them from flying everywhere, trust me. I know from experience.) Cover and cook, stirring often, until the spaghetti begins to soften, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, covered, until the spaghetti is al dente, about 7 minutes.

Stir in the basil, and 1/3 cup of the cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup cheese and broil until the surface is spotty brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve.

**You can adjust the spices to your liking. My DH likes a lot of oregano. I prefer more basil.

Adapted from: America's Test Kitchen