Skillet Baked Spaghetti

Name: Skillet Baked Spaghetti
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey; 2 cloves garlic; Pinch of red pepper flakes; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon dried basil; ¼ teaspoon dried thyme; 12 ounces Spaghetti; 3 (15-ounces each) (15-ounces each) cans crushed tomatoes; 3 cups water; 1 ½ teaspoons salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; 4 ounces light cream cheese; ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese; ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

User Reviews

4.6

81 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings
6 servings
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian, American

Skillet Baked Spaghetti

Iris Warren

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Balanced, flavorful, and enjoyable—this recipe has it all.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
2 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
12 ounces Spaghetti broken into 2-inch pieces (see note)
3 (15-ounces each) (15-ounces each) cans crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces light cream cheese softened and cubed
½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet (see note above) that is oven-safe, cook the ground beef or turkey with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium to medium-high heat, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through, 5-6 minutes. Drain any excess grease, if needed.
Stir in the oregano, basil, thyme, spaghetti, crushed tomatoes, water, salt and pepper. The skillet will be very full! You are going to want to curse my name. It's ok. I still love you. If you stir carefully, you'll be fine. Just kind of lift the pasta up and over to get everything well combined.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, covered, stirring every once in a while to prevent sticking and break up the noodles, for 12-14 minutes, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. It's ok if it still looks quite liquidy as it will continue to thicken while it broils and rests. While the pasta cooks, preheat the broiler.
Stir in the cubed cream cheese until it has melted and combined with the pasta. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the top and broil until golden and bubbly, 2-3 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for 5 or so minutes before serving.

Notes

Spaghetti: the easiest way to do this, says ATK, is to place the spaghetti in a gallon-size ziploc bag so the spaghetti is laying inside the bottom of the bag. Roll the bag up into a tight roll around the pasta and then using the edge of the counter, press into the rolled log of dry noodles, breaking them in 2-inch intervals. Unroll the bag and you'll have lots of 2-inch segments of dried spaghetti in the bottom of the bag. Trust me, it's a lot less messy and faster than doing it strand by strand.
Skillet: also, don't even think about making this in a skillet smaller than 12-inches (if you have one bigger/deeper, use it) because you'll have major overflow issues.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 465kcal (23%) Carbohydrates 60g (20%) Protein 32g (64%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Cholesterol 67mg (22%) Sodium 1126mg (47%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 12g (24%)