Spaghetti Hotdish with Garlic Bread Crumb Topping
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Hotdish is the quintessential main course of the Midwestern table. With your starch, meat, and veggies (usually bound together by a can of creamed soup), served hot in a single dish, it is filling, convenient, and easy to make.
Ingredients
- for the garlic bread crumb topping:
- 1 T. Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter
- ¾ c. panko bread crumbs
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp. black pepper
- for the spaghetti hotdish:
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 16 oz. spaghetti
- 1.5 lbs. mild Italian pork sausage
- 3 T. Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter
- 2 T. reserved fat from the pork sausage or substitute 2 T. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 6 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 c. freshly shredded Parmesan
- 12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 16 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
- ⅓ c. tomato paste
- ¼ c. chopped kalamata olives or substitute regular black olives
- ⅓ c. chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil
- 2 T. brown sugar
- ¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 T. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 T. chopped fresh oregano
- ½ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
for the garlic bread crumb topping:
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt one tablespoon Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter. Add panko, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Stir regularly until panko is lightly golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
for the spaghetti hotdish:
- Coat the bottom and sides of a large cast iron pan with the teaspoon of olive oil. My pan is 12'' in diameter, with 2'' high sides. You could also use a large casserole dish. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add spaghetti. Cook until noodles are just barely soft, to al dente. Drain.
- In a large skillet or sauté pan with tall sides, brown the sausage over medium to medium-high heat. Drain the fat and reserve for later. Remove browned sausage to a plate.
- Using the same large skillet or sauté pan (no need to clean it first), melt the 3 tablespoons of Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved pork fat and stir. Add onion. Stir and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, or until just softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in egg and Parmesan.
- Add drained spaghetti to the onion and garlic mixture and stir to coat evenly. Transfer spaghetti to prepared cast iron skillet. Top with mozzarella. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In the same large skillet or sauté pan (no need to clean it first), add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, and brown sugar. Stir well and turn heat down to medium-low. Stir in sausage and simmer for 10 minutes. Add parsley, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Taste and adjust with additional salt, if needed. Pour tomato sauce onto the center of the spaghetti in the cast iron skillet, spreading out sauce to leave a 1'' border of spaghetti around the perimeter of the pan.
- Spoon bread crumb topping over the center of the tomato sauce, leaving a 1'' border of sauce around the perimeter. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until heated throughout. If bread crumb topping needs a bit more browning, place under the broiler for a minute or two. Serve hot.
Notes
Greatly adapted from a favorite hotdish in our house when I was a kid. “Spaghetti Hotdish” by Marilyn (Sather) Mullen, as featured in the Claire City – New Effington South Dakota 75th Jubilee Cookbook.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 631kcal Carbohydrates: 44g Protein: 32g Fat: 37g Saturated Fat: 16g Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g Cholesterol: 100mg Sodium: 1339mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.