Baked Spaghetti with Cream of Mushroom Soup -- The Casserole I Made for Us and the Neighbor Down the Street

The week before school starts is always a particular kind of busy — not frantic exactly, more like a held breath. Meal prep goes into overdrive. I plan the first two weeks of school lunches and dinners all at once, write the grocery list, cook what I can in advance so Monday morning doesn't feel impossible.

This year I did a big batch of breakfast burritos: scrambled eggs, black beans, cheese, roasted peppers, wrapped in flour tortillas and frozen in individual packets. The kids can grab one in the morning, microwave it, and eat it on the way to the car if they need to. Ethan has early morning seminary four days a week and the breakfast burrito situation has genuinely changed our mornings.

I also made two pans of ziti to freeze — one for us, one for the family down the street whose mom just had knee surgery. Food as infrastructure. Food as care. Sometimes it's the same act doing both jobs simultaneously.

Gary and I took a rare evening walk Thursday after the kids were settled. It's been a while since we did that — just walked without a destination. We talked about the Provo pilot coming in September, and whether the workshops could eventually become something more formal, and what that would even look like. Gary asked, "What do you actually want it to be?" and I didn't have a full answer but I appreciated that he was asking the question instead of answering it for me.

Four days until school starts. The burritos are in the freezer, the folders are labeled, the first week's dinners are planned. We're ready. Or as ready as a family of six ever actually is.

The ziti I mentioned — that’s actually evolved over the years into this baked spaghetti, which I reach for every August without fail because it scales up so easily and freezes without complaint. Making two pans at once is the whole point: one goes in our freezer for a Monday night when nobody has the energy to think, and one goes to whoever needs it most that week. This recipe is the kind of food that does double duty without asking much of you, which is exactly what a held-breath week before school calls for.

Baked Spaghetti with Cream of Mushroom Soup

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 12 oz spaghetti
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook the pasta. Boil spaghetti in salted water according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. Brown the meat. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Build the sauce. Stir in marinara sauce, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring to combine.
5. Combine. Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet and toss until well coated with the sauce.
6. Layer the casserole. Pour half the spaghetti mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup mozzarella. Add remaining spaghetti mixture, then top with remaining mozzarella and all of the Parmesan.
7. Bake. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden.
8. Rest and serve. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. To freeze: cool completely, wrap tightly in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat covered at 350°F for 45–55 minutes from frozen.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 46g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 780mg