Creamy Baked Spaghetti with Easy Meatballs

For the meatballs, mix the ground beef, stuffing mix, eggs, half of the water or stock, salt, pepper, and garlic salt together in a large bowl by hand until well blended. Start rolling mixture into generous size meatballs. Heat up the olive oil in a pan/pot on the stove. Place meatballs in the pan over medium heat. Let them cook for a few minutes, then turn them over. At this point, you are not trying to cook them through, you are just trying to put a nice sear on them.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Once you’ve browned the meatballs on the outside, you can remove them from the heat. Pour the pasta sauce into your pan/pot, then add the onions, bell peppers, and remaining water or chicken stock. Make sure your pan/pot is oven safe, then put it into your oven for 30-35 minutes. The liquid will keep the meatballs nice and moist.

While the meatballs are baking, it’s time to start on the spaghetti. I am on a creamy spaghetti kick rather than a traditional spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti per package instructions. Once spaghetti noodles are drained, put them back on low heat and stir in pasta sauce. Cut up cream cheese into chunks and add to the pot. Tear up the slice of American cheese and add to the pot. Stir frequently until cream cheese and American cheese are melted in. Add in the garlic pepper and oregano, stir. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Spray a 13 X 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the creamy spaghetti into the baking dish and spread out evenly. Once meatballs are done, spoon meatballs over the spaghetti. If desired, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF and bake for 20-25 minutes.

When the spaghetti comes out, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Use a spatula to cut baked spaghetti into squares and serve garnished with grated parmesan cheese. If you enjoy Italian comfort food, you’ll love this recipe.