Spaghetti Grilled Cheese
A recipe for Spaghetti Grilled Cheese! Spaghetti in a homemade meat sauce is sandwiched between two slices of bread with mozzarella cheese and grilled until golden.
Servings 4 Sandwiches
Ingredients
Spaghetti:
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 8 ounces (227 grams) ground beef
- 28 ounces (794 grams) can crushed tomatoes
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water as needed
- 1/4 cup (6 grams) fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- 2 ounces (57 grams) freshly grated Parmesan plus more for topping
- 8 ounces (227 grams) dried spaghetti
Butter:
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
To assemble:
- 16 slices mozzarella thin slices
- 8 slices sturdy sandwich bread sourdough if available
Instructions
To prepare the tomato sauce:
- In a large saucepan, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden.
- Add the crushed garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Stir in the ground beef, crushing it into small pieces with a spoon. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, until browned.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the water. Season with additional salt if needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour to blend the flavors.
- Stir in the basil and remove from heat. Set aside about 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) of the sauce to use for dipping if desired.
While the tomato sauce is simmering:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dried spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente, barely tender.
- Drain the spaghetti and toss in the cooked tomato sauce. Stir in the grated Parmesan.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Pour the spaghetti onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into a single, 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) thick layer long and wide enough to fit into each of the sandwiches.
- Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top in a thin layer.
To make the garlic butter spread:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder to blend.
To assemble the sandwiches:
- Cut the slab of spaghetti into four pieces.
- Brush one slice of bread with the seasoned butter and place butter-side down on work surface.
- Top the bread with two thin slices of mozzarella. Carefully cover with one slab of the spaghetti.
- Cover with another two slices of mozzarella and top with bread. Brush the top with more seasoned butter. Repeat with remaining spaghetti and bread to make four sandwiches in all.
- Place a skillet over medium-low heat. Place the assembled sandwich on the hot skillet. Cover and cook, adjusting the heat between medium-low and low as needed, until golden.
- Carefully flip, cover again, and cook the sandwich on the other side until the bread is golden and cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
- Serve warm.