Baked Spaghetti with Ground Beef

You have probably seen several recipes online for the dish we are going to talk about today.  Many of the websites call it "Spaghetti Pie".  If you do an online search for "Spaghetti Pie" multiple versions of this recipe will pop up.  I do not call it Spaghetti Pie.  It is not made in a pie plate.  It does not resemble a "pie" in the true sense of the word.  I'm not really sure how that name came to be, but we are not going to use it here.  Just a simple "Baked Spaghetti with Ground Beef" will do.  Mine is made in a springform pan and really is the most delicious of these recipes you will find, so let's get started.

Ingredients

Pam® Non-Stick cooking spray for pan
6 large eggs, beaten4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pound ground beef, browned
1 cup grated Homestyle Parmeson-Romano cheese
1/4 cup heaving cream
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 cups cooked linguine

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° with rack in lower part of oven.

In a large glass bowl, combine beaten eggs, mozzarella, Parmesan-Romano cheese, heavy cream, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Use a large spoon or spatula to combine thoroughly.  Leave to sit while you prepare the ground beef.

Over medium high - high heat, brown one pound of ground beef.  Be careful not to overcook.  Drain ground beef and leave in colander to cool while you prepare the linguine.

Boil two 16 ounce boxes of linguine for 9 minutes in a large pot of boiling, salted water.  Drain linguine and lightly rinse in cold running water.

Add ground beef to the cheese and egg mixture and stir to combine.

Measure 8 cups of cooked linguine and add to the cheese, egg and beef mixture.  You will have some linguine leftover.  Use clean hands to fully incorporate the linguine into the cheese, egg and beef mixture.

Spray an 11" springform pan with Pam® Non-Stick cooking spray and transfer the fully incorporated mixture into the pan using clean, dry hands.  This is the easiest way to do this.  This recipe will completely fill an 11" springform pan.  Use your hands to press mixture firmly into pan.

Cover pan with foil and place in preheated oven.  Bake 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.  Remove sides and bottom of springform pan and slice into wedges.  Arrange wedges on a serving plate or pedestal base and place on your buffet or dining room table for your guests to serve themselves.  I would also offer fresh sour cream and a pasta sauce of your choice as an accompaniment.

Serve this dish with a green salad and a light lemon viniagrette dressing.  

So let's go through the steps.

Here are the ingredients we used for this dish.  It is a rather simple recipe.  Few ingredients and not expensive to make at all.

We start with six large eggs.

Lightly beat the eggs with a wire whisk.  You do not need to overbeat the eggs.  Just get the yolks and whites of the eggs incorporated.

Measure 4 cups of shredded mozzarella.

Into the beaten eggs with the mozzarella.

Measure one full cup of Parmesan-Romano.

Add the Parmesan-Romano cheese and the heavy cream to the mixture.

Add the dried parsley, black pepper and kosher salt to the mix.

Mix all of these ingredients thoroughly as above and set aside.

Brown the ground beef and place in a colander to drain the fat and let the meat cool.

While the ground beef is cooling, grab your two boxes of linguine.

I generally unbox pasta and place it in a container until time to place it in the boiling water.  I find it is easier to handle like this rather than straight from the box.

Place the linguine in the pot of boiling water and return to the boil.

Boil the pasta for 9 minutes.

Drain the freshly cooked pasta and lightly rinse with cold water.

While the pasta is cooling, add the cooled ground beef to the egg and cheese mixture.

Combine thoroughly with a large spoon or spatula.

My glass mixing bowl was pretty full with this mixture, so I transferred it to the large boiling pot that I used to cook the pasta.

I added the pasta to the mix and incorporated all of the ingredients together using clean hands.

Now, spray your 11" springform pan with Pam® Non-Stick cooking spray.

Add the spaghetti mixture and cover with foil.  Place in the preheated 375° oven and bake for 40 minutes.  Uncover after 40 minutes and bake an additional 20 minutes until lightly browned and crispy on top.

And, after one hour, you will have this most amazing Spaghetti with Ground Beef casserole.

Here in a pretty presentation on a glass pedestal.  It stands up very well on its own, what with all the cheese and eggs and it is delicious.

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Here are a few pictures of a wedge that has been plated to give you an idea of how you might serve.

I know you and your family will enjoy this delicious casserole and it is perfect for a fun night with friends.