Ingredients:

  • 450g Spaghetti (dry)
  • 30ml Salt (for pasta water)
  • 28g Unsalted Butter
  • 450g Lean Ground Beef
  • 450g Italian Sausage (mild or spicy)
  • 680g Marinara Sauce
  • 5ml Dried Oregano
  • 2.5ml Red Pepper Flakes
  • 225g Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 240ml Sour Cream
  • 240ml Cottage Cheese
  • 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
  • 60ml Fresh Parsley (chopped)
  • 225g Shredded Mozzarella
  • 60g Freshly Grated Parmesan

Instructions:

  1. Boil the pasta in heavily salted water for 2 minutes less than the package's 'al dente' instructions. Drain and immediately toss with butter to prevent clumping.
  2. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and Italian sausage over medium-high heat until a deep mahogany crust develops. Drain excess fat.
  3. Stir the marinara sauce, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes into the browned meat. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, minced garlic, and fresh parsley until smooth.
  5. Preheat oven to 180°C. In a 23x33 cm baking dish, layer half of the buttered spaghetti, followed by the entire cream cheese mixture. Top with the remaining spaghetti.
  6. Spread the meat sauce evenly over the top layer of pasta. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and develops golden-brown spots.