Don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's... arm?

It is safe to say these past few weeks have been a tad interesting. Three weeks ago tomorrow, my mom slipped on black ice and broke her Shoulder, Arm and Elbow. Ouch! My grandmother and I have been trying to switch up staying with her to help her out, although my granny has helped far more than I have. My mom's Bunco girls have been bringing meals, my sweet friends have been bringing meals, and I'm mainly in charge of prescriptions, Dr's Appointments, etc.

I had a meeting tonight, but it got cancelled, so instead I thought i'd do a little cooking. My mom's friend Joann brought her some yummy Baked Spaghetti last week. That really put me in the mood for my Baked Spaghetti. I found this recipe on Pinterest a few years ago, and it has been my favorite Spaghetti Casserole recipe ever since! The recipe itself is called Scooter's Spaghetti, which has a personal story in relation to the original author. I've adapted it with a few minor thing over the years, but I always call it Scooter's Spaghetti when I serve it. Thanks Scooter!

Scooter’s Spaghetti

 

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Layered spaghetti casserole topped with french fried onions. 

Adapted from Salad In a Jar

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (1/2 box) uncooked spaghetti
• 1 pound italian sausage (or ground beef if you prefer)
• 1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ½ cup chopped red or green peppers 
• ⅓ cup chopped onions
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• French-fried onions (small can)

Instructions

1. Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Brown ground sausage. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
3. Combine onions, peppers and coconut oil in small bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on HIGH until soft.
4. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, nuke it for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.)
5. Using a 12 x 8-inch baking dish (or something close), assemble in the following order: thin layer of spaghetti sauce, cooked spaghetti, cream cheese/vegetable mixture, remaining spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese (amount subject to your own taste)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with french-fried onions and continue baking 5 more minutes. (This is the secret ingredient–don’t let them burn.)

Notes

Make this ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze without the French Fried onions. Don’t forget to add them 5 minutes before casserole is finished cooking. This a great meal to take to a church potluck or to a new mommy!