Baked Spaghetti (with recipe)

I apologize for the quick snapshot, the kids were starving and ready to dig in!  I had just enough time as Brownie was cutting to get this picture :-)

As I've said before, we have picky kiddos with very different tastes.  Trying new things isn't always well-received.  This one was a 90% hit!  My daughter didn't like the 'crunchy pieces' - so do beware that the noodles on top can get crispy while baking.  Aside from that complaint, this was devoured in no time!

Now, since it's me .... I use recipes for inspiration.  I don't measure as much, so I can't tell you exactly how much I used, I go by how much I need to make and and what flavors I like.  But I don't have the creative foodie gene, I like recipes.  So here is basically what I did:

Ingredients:

Fresh Basil (however much you prefer)
Salt
Canned Tomatoes
Spaghetti Noodles
Garlic
Mozzarella Cheese (I get the longer 'logs' - I think I used two during this recipe with some leftover)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

-Start boiling your water for pasta
-Put canned tomatoes into the food processor until they're chopped up pretty well, but not saucy
-Heat some oil in a pan and cook some minced garlic (however much you want in your gorgeous sauce) until it smells amazing.
-Add your tomatoes and start simmering to cook down, salt to taste - maybe 15 minutes?  The sauce will seem a little watery - but your noodles are going to need that water during baking, so don't panic!
-While your sauce is cooking, get your pasta cooking - remember to only cook it about 5 minutes or just under the cooking time on the package - you only want them partially cooked!
-Cut 1/2 of your Mozzarella into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside
-Drain your pasta and return it to its pot
-Toss the pasta with your tomato sauce, cut mozzarella and basil
-Transfer mixture into your baking dish (whatever size works for how much you're making here)
-Slice remaining Mozzarella and place in a layer over the top of the spaghetti
-Bake until cheese is bubbly (maybe 25 minutes?)
-Cut and serve!

It's cheesy deliciousness that kids will love.  Yes, one picked out all of the basil but .... we take what we can get :-)  Next time I'll just put the basil in the food processor with the tomatoes and they'll eat it anyway! Muahahahahaha