Parmesan Spaghetti Bake

This recipe is pretty much spaghetti taken to the next level. But a level down from Million Dollar Spaghetti.

I will specify that this recipe requires grated parmesan cheese (like, the kind in the can/plastic container), which I bring from America, because it's really expensive to buy here. And you'll also notice in the above picture that we had the added bonus of some deli style sliced pepperoni that my mom brought over for us from America. But prior to that very welcome addition to our pantry, I'd made this recipe several times with just cheese on top and no pepperoni, and it was still great! 

I normally use spaghetti noodles in this recipe, but when I went to make it last week I was out of spaghetti and only had linguine. However, I think I liked the linguine even better! But you can use any pasta you wish - spaghetti, linguine, fettucini, even shaped pasta like penne or rotini. Whatever you have on hand!

VEGETABLE BONUS - I add a big handful of chopped spinach right into the sauce, and you'd never even notice taste wise! You could also add some grated zucchini into this as you're browning the chicken, but most recently I served this with THIS ZUCCHINI on the side and it was delightful.

To make your spaghetti sauce, you can obviously spend the big bucks to get a jar of Ragu, or use an Indian version of spaghetti sauce, or you can make your own using tomato puree and some basic spices - Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Salt & a little Sugar.

I have another one of those "I don't measure my ingredients" confessions here. Ahem, I don't measure the amount of each spice I put in. I said it, and I'm sorry. I did take a picture to give you an idea:

Ok, you can't really see the sugar (I add about a tsp or two, just to take the bite off of the tomato), and about a half tsp of salt. You also can't see the onion powder or garlic powder. But in the picture, the top spice is the oregano, the one to the right is the basil, and the bottom is the parsley. Proportionally, I use the most of garlic powder (because I love garlic), and oregano (because it adds that super Italian-y flavor). Just add spices until it smells like spaghetti sauce, yeah? Give it a taste and adjust as needed.

Ok, here are the full directions!

Parmesan Spaghetti Bake

250 grams of pasta

1 lb chicken keema (ground chicken)

1-2 boxes of tomato puree

Spices for sauce (see above)

2-3 TBS of butter

1/3 - 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Shredded "pizza cheese" (mozzarella) for topping

Boil your pasta according to the package directions.

Brown your chicken keema in a pot until it is cooked through. Add the tomato puree and spices to the chicken (or canned spaghetti sauce). Warm until heated through. 

When your pasta is done cooking, drain it, and then transfer back into the pot. Add the butter and grated parmesan cheese and stir well. Grease a small casserole dish, then pour the pasta into the dish. Next pour the spaghetti sauce over the pasta and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle the top with grated pizza cheese (and pepperoni as a bonus!). 

Bake at 170 degrees Celsius (350 F) for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and the whole thing is heated through.
Double the recipe for a 9x13 size casserole, although you could still only use 1 lb. of chicken and have it be more sauce heavy vs. meat heavy.