Skillet Baked Spaghetti

The best way to break up the pasta for this dish 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 tightly 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. 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. I used a 12-inch, deep cast iron skillet and it was just right.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: One pot meal

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: -8

Calories: 595kcal

Author: Good Dinner Mom

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef, 80/20,or turkey
¼ pound mild or spicy Italian sausage
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
12 ounces spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces (see note)
2- 15 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1- 15 oz. can tomato sauce
3 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet (see note above) that is oven-safe, cook 1 pound ground beef and ¼ pound sausage with 2 garlic and pinch 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.
Stir in ¾ teaspoon oregano,½ teaspoon basil, ¼ teaspoon thyme, 12 ounces spaghetti, 30 ounces crushed tomatoes, 15 ounces tomato sauce, 3 cups water, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. The skillet will be very full! Just stir carefully, lifting 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 4 ounces cubed cream cheese until it has melted and combined with the pasta. Sprinkle ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup 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 minutes or so. Grate ¼ cup Parmesan and sprinkle with ¼-½ cup chopped parsley just before serving.

Nutrition