Cheesy Baked Spaghetti

This is my tried and true recipe that is so good on a busy weeknight. It is something you can make ahead and warm up when it's dinnertime!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. ground beef

• 2 jars of Ragu- I like to use the one that says "Sautéed mushroom and onion"-but use whatever flavor you like with spaghetti

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 pint of fresh sliced mushrooms

• Salt & pepper, to taste

• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

• 1 tsp. onion powder

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

• 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Sauce: Begin by browning your ground beef in a large pot or Dutch oven. When the beef is about 75% of the way cooked through, add in the diced onion and cook until tender. Drain any excess fat.

2. Add in all of the spices, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

3. Pour in both jars of Ragu. I always ad about 1/4-1/3 cup of water to each empty Ragu jars. I swish it around to get the extra sauce that may be stuck in there. Then I pour the water into the sauce. It helps thin it out just a bit too. Don't worry, it won't be too thin in the end.

4. In a separate pan, sauté the mushrooms in some butter. Then add the mushrooms to your sauce. If you don't like mushrooms, of course leave them out completely.

5. Let the sauce simmer on low or medium-low for an hour. The longer it simmers, the better it gets! Taste it for seasoning. You may want to add more spices or salt.

6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

7. Meanwhile, boil your pasta in some salted water. Cook it about 1 minute shy of what the box says. Drain it well.

8. Mix together 1/2 of your sauce with all of the pasta. Pour it into your casserole dish. I always just mix it together IN the dish. It saves me one thing to clean up! ;)

9. Sprinkle the top of your spaghetti with the cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and bubbly.

*I like to serve the other 1/2 of the sauce on the side. My dad and husband both like LOTS of sauce with their spaghetti. In my opinion, there is JUST enough sauce for me in the spaghetti itself. You may still have sauce leftover after you eat. Freeze any leftovers!