Bacon Cream Cheese Baked Spaghetti

Looking for a healthy weeknight dinner solution? Well keep on lookin’. While this Bacon Cream Cheese Baked Spaghetti is certainly easy enough for a busy weeknight, it most definitely is not health food. No, this is indulgent comfort food that’s unapologetic in its creamy-cheesiness. (There’s bacon too!) It’s simple, it’s rich, and it’s utterly delicious.

While many a casserole uses cream of mushroom soup as a shortcut, this one uses cream of bacon soup and it has me feeling like that should have been the go-to casserole shortcut option all along. You simply stir that together with some milk, cream cheese, and onion and garlic powder, bring it to a simmer and then drop the spaghetti right into the liquid. The spaghetti cooks in what will become the sauce, so it saves you some steps and ensures that the pasta is plenty flavorful.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups milk
• 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of bacon soup
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 lb dry spaghetti
• 3 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated and divided
• 1 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Fresh chives, snipped, for garnish (optional)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large pot, stir together the milk, bacon soup, cream cheese, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring to a boil.
3. Once bubbling, break spaghetti in half and stir into pot. Reduce heat to medium low and let spaghetti cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in 2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 of the bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish.
5. Top with remaining mozzarella and bacon and bake until cheese has melted and is starting to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes.
6. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chives, if using. Enjoy!