Skillet Baked Spaghetti

Who doesn't love a 1-pot meal!?  This one makes A TON!!  This will be plenty for bigger families and isn't too hard or long to make (she said it was a 30 minute meal for her...me, probably closer to 45 minutes).  Again, from Mel's Kitchen website, here's the link.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

2 cloves minced garlic

pinch of red pepper flaks

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

12 ounces spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces (she included a note saying to put the spaghetti in a gallon size bag, close the bag, and then break the spaghetti against the side of the counter in 2-inch increments to reduce mess, it worked really well!)

3 cans (15 ounces each) crushed tomatoes (hope you guys have that size at your store, mine only had 28 oz cans)

3 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 ounces softened light cream cheese, cubed

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Just an FYI -- I used a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, if you have something with a larger lip on the side, I would definitely recommend using that one.  My skillet was filled to the brim and I had to be really careful when I stirred once everything was in it...

1. In a large 12-inch skillet (that you're ok putting in the oven for about 3 minutes), cook the ground beef or turkey with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium to medium-high heat, until the meat is cooked through (5-6 minutes).  Drain excess grease.

2. Stir in the oregano, basil, thyme, spaghetti, crushed tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper (the skillet will be full!).

3. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, covered, stirring every once in a while to prevent sticking and help break up the noodles, for 12-14 minutes, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.  It's ok if it still looks quite liquidy (mine did!) but it will keep thickening while it broils and rests.  While the pasta cooks, preheat the broiler.

4. Stir in the cubed cream cheese until it melts and is combined with the pasta.  Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the top and broil for 2-3 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

5. Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for 5 or so minutes before serving.

Again, this makes a lot!  We had leftovers for more than 2 meals if we needed to (and that was for 3 adults and 1 toddler).