I don’t post “real food” recipes very often. Not because I don’t cook, but rather because it can get exhausting taking pictures of everything I make…and my food is cold by the time I finish taking pictures. And Jordan says I get mean when I’m hungry – ha! 😉 But sometimes I make an exception. Some of you may remember that I’m training for a 17.5 mile trail race in less than 2 weeks (yikes!). Yeah…what was I thinking?? Anyway, Saturday I ran 12 miles and then I was craving some carbs – big time! The problem was, I was kind of tired after my run and didn’t necessarily want to slave away in the kitchen. Solution? Baked spaghetti. Carbs? Check! Easy? Check! Delicious? Check!
If you’ve read my “About Me” section or if you really know me, you know that I like to travel. A few years ago, I spent a month in a few different European countries but the majority of my travel has been stateside and in Canada. I’ve been to 49 states (only missing Hawaii) and almost all the Canadian provinces (save 1 or 2). Most of this travel has been in an RV – not a big, nice RV either! But it serves it’s purpose and it really is the best way to travel (in my opinion). So how does this tie in with the baked spaghetti? Well, cooking in an RV can be challenging – especially going down the road, so we came up with this recipe on our very first RV trip way back in 2006 and we’ve been making it ever since. Baked spaghetti really has so much more flavor than regular spaghetti because the noodles actually cook in the sauce. You should give this recipe a try. It’s perfect for a quick, weeknight meal. Enjoy!
Easy Baked Spaghetti
2 oz spaghetti, uncooked (I used a high-fiber whole wheat pasta)
1/2-3/4 lb 99% lean ground turkey, browned (extra lean beef would work too)
1 1/2 cup marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Break spaghetti into thirds. Place in baking dish. Top with turkey, sauce, and water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
3. Bake for 45 minutes (stirring once about half-way through). Remove aluminum foil and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes more or until cheese is melted and bubbly.