Family Recipe: Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

My cousin Jordan gave me this recipe several years ago and I love it.  I still use it when I want to do something a little different with spaghetti.  I like that it is easy yet delicious!  There are several variations to this recipe that I use to mix it up a little bit too.

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake:

• 2 lb ground Hamburger
• 32 oz Spaghetti Sauce
• 12 to 14 oz Spaghetti Noodles
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Onions
• 1 1/2 cup Velveeta Cheese

Brown the beef and onion in a skillet and drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and simmer 10 minutes.  Break spaghetti noodles into quarters and cook according to directions; drain.  Add spaghetti noodles to the sauce mixture.  Dice up and melt Velveeta cheese and milk together in a saucepan on low heat.  Stir frequently until melted.  Spread 1/2 of the spaghetti mixture in to a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Top with 3/4 cheese sauce, then the remainder of the spaghetti mixture.  Drip remaining 1/4 cup of melted cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Variation 1: Sometime I will layer the spaghetti noodles on the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides then add the sauce and meat on top followed by the cheese mixture.

Variation 2: Layer the spaghetti noodles on the bottom, then a thin layer of cheese, followed by the meat & sauce mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top

Variation 3: Cook in 2 pie dishes so I can share with others, for example, if someone just had a baby or surgery and I am bringing them a meal I will cook one for our family and one to give away.

Variation 4: Add Mushrooms and other veggies to the Spaghetti bake (you can put them in as a separate layer or mix them in with the meat and sauce mixture).

Photo by Norwichnuts