Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti

Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti. This is a super easy and very tasty version of a baked spaghetti. The flavor resembles a lasagna without all the effort. You will need to overlook the ingredients because I ate it for years at a friend's house and when I finally asked for the recipe...I was rather shocked with the actual ingredients. Cream cheese? Sour cream? Really? I would never have guessed it to be in this casserole. Honestly, if I would have saw this recipe in a magazine and read the ingredients...I would have skipped over it. The combination doesn't sound appealing. Oh but it is delectable! It isn't a dried out version of baked spaghetti. This is also a very forgiving recipe: you can tweak it and it still tastes great!

I haven't made this recipe for quite a few years and then one of my kids requested it. I decided to make it with gluten free spaghetti noodles. Then my daughter requested that I use fat free versions of the cottage cheese and cream cheese for her new gallbladder/pancreas diet. I tried it and none of us could tell the difference. (Even my mom who is not generally a fan of any type of baked spaghetti enjoyed it. She asked for the recipe to make it when she goes back to Ohio!) If you don't have any special diet restrictions you can certainly make it with regular spaghetti noodles & regular cottage cheese & cream cheese! Either way it is DELICIOUS! (Leftovers are just as good!)

Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti Recipe:

• 8 oz. spaghetti noodles (I used Hodgson Mill Brown Rice Gluten Free Noodles). You can use regular spaghetti noodles if you don't have a gluten allergy.
• 16 oz. Cottage cheese (I used fat free)
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (I used fat free)
• 1 can (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce (I used Hunt's Zesty)
• 1 pound lean hamburger, I used 93% lean hamburger (or you can substitute ground turkey or vegetarian crumbles)
• 1/2 cup diced onion, optional

Brown hamburger & onion in a skillet until onions are tender and meat is no longer pink; drain grease if there is any. (If you are using the vegetarian crumbles then you can omit cooking them in the skillet since they are pre-cooked! Just saute the onions if you are using them). Add spaghetti sauce and set aside. Boil noodles until done; drain. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese until well combined. (I put it in the microwave for almost 1 minute so the cream cheese softened enough to mix well). Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spoon half the spaghetti noodles into bottom of pan. Spoon half of the cream cheese/cottage cheese/sour cream mixture on the noodles then top with half of the hamburger/sauce mixture. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Cut into squares and serve. Leftovers freeze well.

It was fun bringing an old favorite dish into my gluten free world. This is one of those yummy comfort foods that brings back smiles. Although I enjoy experimenting and trying new recipes...sometimes the old comfortable ones are the best! I am sooooo glad that the gluten free (and fat free) substitutions stood up well to this recipe! It is a keeper!

Enjoy!
Tanja
Gluten Free Casually