First post and a recipe!

Hello! I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to start off this blog, and then I thought "food!". Sharing food is always a good way to start relationships off. Here we go!

Today I'm going to share my recipe for Baked Spaghetti. I first tried baked spaghetti while visiting my fiance's family. He absolutely adores his Grandmother's baked spaghetti. So much so that he won't eat any other kind of spaghetti. This was my attempt at replicating it.

You will need:

• 1/2 a yellow onion.
• 2lbs. of ground beef.
• 1 28oz. can of Diced Tomatoes.
• 1 16oz. can of Tomato Sauce.
• 1 32oz. box of Spaghetti.
• 2 8oz. bags of Mozzarella cheese.
• 2 dashes of Oregano.
• Any additional spices you would like to use.

I'd like to note that I used Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes and a Freeze-Dried Herb Blend. These tomatoes are some of the best canned tomatoes I've ever tasted, I really recommend them. I tried these herbs for the first time and I was pretty impressed. For being freeze-dried they actually tasted pretty fresh and added great flavor to the sauce. In case you're wondering, the herbs in the mix are parsley, red onion, chives, shallots, garlic, and dill. Fell free to use fresh herbs in place of this blend.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, chop the onion into small pieces and saute until soft. Then add the ground beef and 2tsp. of the herbs. Mix everything together. While the beef cooks you can start on your pasta.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the spaghetti. I had originally planned to use the entire box (we wanted leftovers) but instead used about two-thirds of the box. It just seemed like too much. It ended up being just the right amount. Once the pasta is fully cooked spread evenly in a large shallow baking dish and spread a layer of mozzarella cheese on top. Make sure to save some of the cheese for later.

When your ground beef mixture is nearly finished, fill a pot with both the can of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and heat. Add 2tsp. of the same herb mixture.

As soon as the ground beef is fully cooked and the sauce is heated through mix the two together. Pour the sauce mixture on top of the spaghetti in an even layer. Sprinkle your remaining cheese on top. Bake in the oven until cheese is completely melted, about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, you can do the absolute worst part of cooking: clean up!

Although, I really enjoyed the way the meal turned out there are some things I would change for next time. First off, I would definitely add maybe half a bag more of cheese. My fiance actually added some Colby Jack to his. I would also add some garlic to the mix, it was lacking a little in the flavor department. Other than that I really enjoyed both making and eating this spaghetti and I would definitely try it again. I hope you enjoy it too!

x. ashley