Spaghetti Baskets

Earlier today, I came across a picture on the internet that intrigued my pregnant taste buds...

I pinned it on pinterest here. A pressed spaghetti sandwich with garlic bread. Oh yum. I started thinking about ways to recreate and dress it up a bit at home. We don't have a sandwich press so I thought a grilled cheese style with provolone and spaghetti. But...I honestly totally dislike making grilled cheese. I know they are one of the most simple foods in the world, but I really dislike the smell of hot butter in the frying pan. 

So my mind drifted to recipes I've tried in the past, like the BBQ Chicken Biscuits. It's fun to bake things in a  giant muffin pan on top of a biscuit. And yummy. My mind created these yummy Spaghetti Baskets and I went with it! They were a big hit and will go into regular meal rotation now...

First, you cook angel hair noodles according to package directions and mix with your favorite sauce and season the way you seem fit. I did a box of whole wheat spaghetti and a jar of Classico 4 Cheese sauce. I didn't season mine up too much because I was using garlic on the crescents. But your choice. 

NEXT...preheat oven to 350 and melt about 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter and mix in a few dashes of garlic powder. Meanwhile, divide crescent rolls into triangles and press into large muffin pan creating the baskets. I used 2 triangles just to fill in gaps and build up the sides. 

Next, use a pastry or bbq brush to brush down the sides and bottoms of the crescent baskets with the melted garlic butter. Place a square of mozzarella cheese or a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella to the bottom of each basket. Then place about half a cup of spaghetti in each basket. I used a big serving fork and spoon to twist the spaghetti in a nice little nest before putting them in the crescents. 

I then added a few strips of cheese to the tops, but you could do shredded if that's what you have on hand. 

Now bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before popping out of the pans. So good...we had ours with a salad. I wanted to keep eating and eating...

Spaghetti Baskets

1/2 a box of uncooked angel hair pasta

4 cups of favorite spaghetti sauce

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

2 to 3 tablespoons butter

Garlic powder

Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. 

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and mix with sauce. 

Meanwhile, lightly grease large muffin pan/pans. 12 muffin spaces total. Divide crescent rolls into triangles and press into muffin pans to form baskets. Use extra dough to fill in the holes and build up the sides. 

Melt butter and mix with a few dashes of garlic powder. Brush butter on the sides of crescents using a pastry or bbq brush. 

Place a square of mozzarella or a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella on the bottom of each crescent. Place a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of spaghetti in each basket and top with more cheese. 

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. 

Dig in!!