Here is a recipe for 6-8 servings (I apologize in advance for any formatting issues):
BAKED SPAGHETTI
(for a regular group: serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
½ med.-lg. yellow/white onion: diced
1 lb. ground beef (or beef/pork mixture)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 x 24-oz. jar marinara sauce + 1½ cups water
1 x 14.5 oz. petite diced tomatoes (plus liquid)
1 tsp. salt + ½ tsp. ground black pepper
8 oz. uncooked spaghetti noodles
4 oz. shredded meltable cheese, divided (I prefer Monterrey Jack)
1 oz. grated/shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup cottage cheese (small curd)
Directions:
(1) In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned;
drain on paper towels. Drain any excess oil; then lower the heat to
medium-low, add the onions and cook until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Add
1 tsp. of the Italian seasoning plus cumin, and cook an additional 30 - 60
seconds.
(2) Add the marinara sauce plus water (added to empty jar, swirled around
to remove any leftover marinara sauce inside, then poured in), diced
tomatoes, and salt and pepper; then stir to mix. Add the browned beef back
into the sauce, and stir to mix.
(3) Turn up the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti noodles
into the pot, then lower heat to a simmer. When the spaghetti noodles are
malleable, stir occasionally to mix them in with the sauce in order to
prevent the noodles from clumping together, and also to keep them from
sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes,
stirring the noodles every couple of minutes. (IMPORTANT: Stir the mixture
every couple of minutes – and especially scraping back and forth along the
bottom of the Dutch oven – to prevent the mixture from burning.) Remove the
Dutch oven from the heat; let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes,
uncovered, continuing to stir the mixture every few minutes.
(4) While the sauce and noodles are cooking, mix together in a separate bowl
the cottage cheese, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ½ of the shredded/grated
cheeses.
(5) Fill a lightly greased 9" x 9" x 3" (approximate) aluminum pan with half
of the spaghetti mixture; then spread the cottage cheese/shredded cheese
mixture over the spaghetti mixture. Fill the casserole dish with the rest of
the spaghetti mixture, and top with the remaining shredded/grated cheese.
Cook at 350 F for 30 minutes; serve warm.
NOTE: If you are freezing the prepared mixture: Initially cover with parchment paper, then aluminum foil, before freezing. After removing from the freezer, thaw completely; then cook, covered with the parchment paper and aluminum foil, at 350 F for 45-60 minutes.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: I shred the cheeses from blocks that I get at the grocery store, as opposed to using pre-shredded cheeses (which do not melt as easily or well).
I often serve this (in larger quantities) to a homeless group for dinner once a month at a local church; I make it ahead of time, and put it into the freezer until our dinner comes up.
