Kittencals Spaghetti And Meatball Casserole Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare the meatball recipe as directed on the recipe; transfer to a plate cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (the meatballs may be prepared up to 1 day in advance).
• Drain the diced tomatoes over a strainer.
• Coat bottom of large heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil, heat over medium heat.
• Saute onion with bay leaf, oregano, basil, salt, black pepper and crushed chili peppers for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions are transparent.
• Add in fresh garlic; cook stirring for 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste;mix and stir for about 2 minutes or until well combined with the onion mixture.
• Add in the wine; stir well to combine.
• Add the 2 cans crushed tomatoes (can use 3 cans if you are freezing some sauce) and the drained diced tomatoes, stir and bring to a light boil; boil for 5-8 minutes then reduce heat to low.
• Add in uncooked meatballs to the sauce (if you are adding the meatballs uncooked do not stir for 30 minutes or you may run the risk of them falling apart in the simmering sauce).
• Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 3-5 hours (the longer you simmer uncovered the thicker and richer your sauce will be so don't be afraid to simmer even 6 hours!) adding more salt if desired.
• Skim off any fat that might gather on top of sauce.
• Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate (with the meatballs in the sauce) a minimum of 1 day or up to 4 days before using.
• Use as much as desired then freeze the rest for another meal, just reheat the sauce on top of the stove or heat in microwave (this will freeze well for up to 6 months).
• Note: if desired, you can bake the meatballs in the oven before adding to the sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions for al dente. Strain, add back to the pot and toss with some oil.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Soak the bread with 2 tablespoons of the milk in a medium bowl, tossing occasionally, until completely soft, about 5 minutes. While the bread softens, combine the beef, pork, 1 of the eggs, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in another medium bowl. Add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. Gently incorporate all the ingredients with your hands until well combined.
• Brush a baking sheet with oil, and drop teaspoonfuls of the meatball mixture onto it. Brush your hands with a little oil, roll the mounds into balls and space them out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and almost completely cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Add the meatballs, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes to the cooked pasta, toss to combine and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
• Whisk together the marinara sauce, the remaining 5 eggs, 2/3 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup milk, the sliced garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in one of the empty bowls. Pour the sauce mixture over the spaghetti mixture, and press the spaghetti into a flat, even layer. Sprinkle the parsley over the top. Cover with foil, and bake until the casserole is hot and almost completely set, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue baking until the top of the casserole is set, about 10 minutes more. Let cool for a few minutes. Cut into squares, and serve warm.

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Shape into small meatballs (at this point you can place on a jelly-roll/baking sheet and freeze to use later, or cover with plastic wrap refrigerate up to 24 hours before using).
• Drop the meatballs into simmering pasta sauce, do not stir for at least 20 minutes or you will risk breaking the meatballs.
• Continue cooking in the simmering sauce for another 20 minutes (depending on how fast your sauce is simmering 40 minutes total should fully cook the meatballs).
• After the 40 minutes cooking time continue cooking your sauce with the meatballs in for as long as desired.
• **note** you may also bake the meatballs at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

Steps:

• Grease a round 2-quart casserole dish or an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
• For the sauce; in a skillet or saucepan brown the ground beef with onion and red chili flakes until no longer pink.
• Drain fat then add in garlic, oregano and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
• Add in tomato sauce, mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil over medium heat stirring.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally, season with more salt to taste if desired.
• Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in boiling water until almost tender (undercook the spaghetti as it will soften up even more when baked in the oven) drain in a colander then rinse under cold water, drain well again then place into a large bowl.
• Add in melted butter, garlic powder, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and black pepper; using clean hands toss/mix until well combined (use hands for mixing spaghetti this will not work with a spoon) season with salt to taste if desired.
• TO ASSEMBLE; spread the spaghetti mixture evenly into bottom of the pie plate, pressing down with hands to flatten.
• In a bowl mix 2 cups cottage cheese with 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1 cup mozzarella cheese cheese then spread over the spaghetti.
• Dollop the tomato sauce mixture over the cottage cheese then spread out with a spoon.
• Top with 1 cup or more of mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and continue to bake 10-15 minutes more or until hot and bubbly.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Add egg and Parmesan cheese to spaghetti and stir to combine (I used my hands and it worked well).
• Press spaghetti mixture into the bottom of a sprayed 8x8 glass baking dish. Cover spaghetti mixture with a layer of sliced pepperoni. Cover pepperoni with 1/2 c shredded Mozzarella cheese.
• Cook precooked, frozen meatballs according to package directions (I just microwaved them). Cut them in half. Layer the meatball halves over the cheese mixture (number of meatballs is approximate. We used smaller meatballs so adjust to cover the whole casserole).
• Combine spaghetti sauce, garlic powder and dehydrated onion flakes in a bowl. Spoon over meatball layer.
• Sprinkle 1/2 c Mozzarella cheese over the spaghetti sauce mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake approximately another 20 minutes or until bubbly.
• Again, the measurements for this recipe are approximately. Please adjust to your own tastes. And I didn't have any on hand but I would've like to have added cooked green peppers to the sauce. So get creative! I'm anxious to hear what combinations everyone comes up with!