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:
- 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.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and Italian sausage over medium-high heat until a deep mahogany crust develops. Drain excess fat.
- Stir the marinara sauce, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes into the browned meat. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, minced garlic, and fresh parsley until smooth.
- 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.
- Spread the meat sauce evenly over the top layer of pasta. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 40 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and develops golden-brown spots.