Recipe- Must Try Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti is everything you know and love about Bolognese in the form of an epic, juicy pasta bake with a bonus layer of molten cheese in the middle!

This is one of those rare foods that is a truly fabulous freezer meal and keeps for days in the fridge!

Ingredients

Bolognese Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves , minced
1 onion , finely chopped
1 carrot , finely diced (optional)
1 stick celery , finely diced (optional)
750g / 1.5lb ground beef (mince)
3/4 cup (185ml) dry red wine
3 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled
1.2kg / 2.4 lb crushed tomato , canned
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 - 3 tsp white sugar , if needed
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme or oregano)
Salt and pepper

Spaghetti Bake:

500g/ 1lb spaghetti
8 - 10 slices Swiss cheese (or other type), enough for a layer
2 cups (200g) mozzarella cheese, shredded

Method

Sauce:

- Heat oil in a large, heavy based pot over medium high heat.

- Add garlic and onion, cook 2 minutes.

- Add celery and carrot, cook 3 minutes.

- Turn heat up to high, add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go.

- Once beef is brown, add wine. Simmer rapidly for 2 minutes.

- Add remaining Sauce ingredients, stir.

- Bring to simmer, lower heat, cover with lid. Simmer for 45 minutes (minimum) or 1.5 - 2 hours (best!).

- If liquid evaporates too much, add water - should be saucy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble & Bake:

- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

- Cook pasta per packet directions, minus 1 minute.

- Drain, then return into pot.

- Add just over half the Sauce, toss.

- Spread half the pasta in a casserole pan, spread with half remaining Sauce.

- Top with cheese slices, then remaining pasta, remaining Sauce, finish with mozzarella.

- Cover loosely with foil (so cheese doesn't stick), bake 25 minutes.

- Remove foil (reserve), bake further 10 minutes than remove.

- Cover loosely with foil, stand 10 - 15 minutes. Then cut slices with a knife and use a spatula to serve pieces like lasagna!