Making baked spaghetti is one of my favorite frugal and delicious ways to use various leftovers.
Almost every time we have spaghetti for dinner, we often have a little bit leftover-so I freeze it. When we have enough for another full meal, I pull them from the freezer and create a simple and satisfying meal.
Leftover Items To Use When Making Baked Spaghetti…
Use any or all of the items below to suit your tastes. Delicious creativity abounds here!
- Cooked Ground Beef
- Cooked Italian Sausage-ground or links-cut into slices
- Cooked Ground Chicken or Cooked Ground Turkey
- Assorted Leftover Cooked Veggies-spinach, broccoli, zucchini, peppers, onions etc.
- Mushrooms-canned or fresh
- Ricotta Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
- Sour Cream-to add creaminess and lower the tomato acidity
- Cheeses-mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, cheddar etc.
- Sauces-marinara, alfredo
- Herbs (fresh or dried)-basil, oregano, thyme, parsley
How to Assemble the Baked Spaghetti Using Leftovers…
I like to use an oven safe frying pan with high sides to make the baked spaghetti. This is an easy way to thaw, heat, bake and broil the baked spaghetti….all in one pan for easy prep and clean-up.
Just add all the portions (thawed or still slightly frozen) of leftover spaghetti to the pan along with any other leftover items from the list above that you would like to use.
Stir well and often as needed, because it may stick on the bottom of the pan. Add water or stock if it is too dry.
Heat the ingredients until warm and combined.
Top with a bit of sauce to keep it from drying out. Sprinkle with cheeses.
Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes-until the mixture is bubbly.
Then turn on the broiler and allow the cheeses to get all melty and browned-watch carefully so it doesn’t burn…this happens fast.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. This is when I sprinkled dried basil all over the top of my delicious creation.
Serve The Baked Spaghetti…
Scoop the baked spaghetti from the pan onto plates and serve. OR, you can place this delicious pan of beauty in the middle of your table and allow your guests to scoop it themselves!
A nice tossed salad and slices of garlic bread are delicious accompaniments with the baked spaghetti.
To make the garlic bread…
Slice a loaf of Italian bread into 4 slices and place them on a foil lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.
Spread the bread slices with softened butter.
Sprinkle them with garlic powder, parmesan cheese and dried basil.
Place them under the broiler for just a couple of minutes until slightly browned. Taa Daah, that’s it!
I used a loaf of leftover Italian bread, so this was even more frugal and delicious. Garlic bread is just so satisfyingly perfect with a spaghetti dinner!
In conclusion…
This meal is so comforting. And best of all…it’s an almost free (no cost to very low cost) meal to make!
I hope you get a chance to make baked spaghetti and enjoy it as much as we do. Hubby and I had it for dinner last night (he loved it) and we will have the leftovers for dinner tonight! Now that’s even more frugal and delicious!!
Take Care Folks, Be Safe, Virtual Hugs,
Chauncey
If you’re looking for a super delicious pasta sauce recipe…here’s the one I make that my family goes crazy for…
https://frugalanddelicious.com/how-to-make-delicious-pasta-sauce-using-an-instant-pot/
If you’d like to get a pan similar to the one I used to make the baked spaghetti, here’s a link to one with a really good price…
