Oven Baked Ribs

I usually smoke my ribs, but there are times when I’m more than happy to cook them in other ways. Usually, that means on the Char-Broil Big Easy. Once, heck, I even made them in the slow cooker! Gasp! This time I figured I’d try oven baked ribs, which really isn’t much different than using the Big Easy.

I ended up with tender, juicy ribs that tasted absolutely great. Of course, they do not have that smoky flavor I’d get on the smoker, cooked for 6 hours. But, I make up for that a bit by adding smoky ingredients like smoked paprika and using a smoky (hickory in this case) BBQ sauce at the end.

Oven Baked Ribs

Although I did not include it in the recipe below, I’d consider adding a drop (and surely not much more) of liquid smoke to the foil before sealing the ribs. There’s already a good bit of great smokiness added by the smoked paprika so I wouldn’t go crazy with the liquid smoke. If you aren’t a fan of liquid smoke but want more smoky flavor, substitute smoked sea salt for the Kosher salt.

I used back ribs, though when I smoke ribs I almost always use spare ribs trimmed St. Louis-style. I wouldn’t use spare ribs in this recipe because I’d be afraid that the additional fat in them would almost end up ‘boiling’ the ribs in the foil.

If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Also try my oven-baked hot dogs. Hankerin’ for more ribs? Make some slow cooker Vietnamese ribs.

Oven Baked Ribs
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5 from 1 vote

Oven Baked Ribs

Fantastic ribs that don't need a smoker or grill to be cooked to perfection.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword baked, ribs
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings 2 racks
Calories 1549kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  • Place ribs onto two large pieces of foil.
  • Combine the remaining ingredients except for the sauce. Sprinkle the rub mixture over the ribs on all sides. Depending on the size of your ribs you may not end up needing all of the rub.
  • Seal the foil tightly, transfer to a large baking sheet and place in the oven.
  • Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
  • Carefully open the foil.There will be lots of hot liquid accumulated in the bottom of the foil packets!
  • Remove the ribs from the foil (they might be quite tender, so support them from underneath using large turners or flat wooden paddles and transfer to the baking sheets.
  • Brush with plenty of sauce and place ribs under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has set.
  • Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with more sauce for dipping if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 1549kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 111g | Fat: 95g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 391mg | Sodium: 1751mg | Potassium: 1870mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 5616IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 290mg | Iron: 9mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Million Dollar Spaghetti

I was going to change the name of this dish to just ‘spaghetti casserole’ because (before I made it) I thought that calling it Million Dollar Spaghetti was a bit pretentious. Well, as you can tell, I didn’t change the name. That’s because, yeah, Million Dollar Spaghetti is the perfect name for it.

If you close your eyes and take a bite of this spaghetti you’ll almost think you are eating lasagna. Actually, it’s very close in flavor to my mom’s easy lasagna, a recipe I make and devour regularly. Spaghetti sauce, Italian sausage, pasta, a little Italian seasoning and plenty of cheese. What’s not to love?

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti was a huge hit in our house. We were sad when the last piece disappeared. But not super sad since we knew it won’t be long until we make this again. And again.

You can easily change this recipe up to meet your own tastes. Maybe add some fresh mushrooms in when you cook the sausage. Or a few bell peppers. For me, a pinch or two of red pepper flake is always a good idea too. You don’t have to use an expensive jarred spaghetti sauce, either. Good ole Prego (I used Italian Sausage and Garlic) works just great!

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.

To really amp up this dish, use my smoked spaghetti sauce instead of jarred.

Million Dollar Spaghetti
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5 from 1 vote

Million Dollar Spaghetti

If you close your eyes and take a bite of this spaghetti you’ll almost think you are eating lasagna.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword spaghetti
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 497kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • kosher salt
  • 2 24 ounce spaghetti sauce divided
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion chopped
  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage if using links remove the casings
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup Ricotta cheese
  • 1 8 ounce cream cheese softened
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 3 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
  • 1 stick butter cut into 16 thin pats, divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and return the spaghetti to the pot you cooked it in and stir in one bottle of the spaghetti sauce. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Crumble in the raw sausage and stir, cooking until the sausage is cooked through. I used a wooden spoon to help break up the sausage while it cooked.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the remaining jar of spaghetti sauce.
  • In a bowl, combine the Ricotta, cream cheese, sour cream, Italian seasoning and 1 cup of the Mozzarella.
  • Place 8 of the pieces of butter in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
  • Place half of the spaghetti mix into the bottom of the dish. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
  • Add the cheese mixture and spread out evenly.
  • Add the remaining butter and then add the rest of the of the spaghetti mixture. Spread out evenly.
  • Add all of the tomato sauce mixture and spread out evenly.
  • Add the remaining mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until hot.
  • Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Peach BBQ Beans

Yeah, this is how BBQ beans are done. When you need a big batch of beans that’ll knock everyone’s socks off, these peach BBQ beans are it. Sure, I’ve smoked baked beans before and I’ve soaked dry beans overnight and gone through all the hassle. No hassle here. Just great BBQ bean flavor, with a little sweetness from peaches added in. Nice and different, and definitely delicious.

Peach BBQ Beans

If peaches aren’t your thing, substitute canned apple pie filling instead. Or make two batches, one batch of these beans and one batch of apple BBQ beans and amaze all of the guests at your next (big!) party.

If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Also try my smokehouse beans and my smoked BBQ baked beans.

Peach BBQ Beans
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5 from 1 vote

Peach BBQ Beans

Yeah, this is how BBQ beans are done. When you need a big batch of beans that’ll knock everyone’s socks off, these peach BBQ beans are it. 
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword baked beans, BBQ, peach
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 91kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 F.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the bacon and cook, stirring constantly, until the bacon starts to crisp.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Do not remove any fat in the skillet.
  • Add the bell pepper and onion to the skillet and cook until softened, stirring often, 5-6 minutes.
  • Place all ingredients into a very large bowl and stir to combine well.
  • Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour in the bean mixture and spread out evenly.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until bubbly hot. Note: If your pan is full to the brim, you might want to place a large baking dish on the oven rack below to catch any drippings that might flow over the side.
  • Let cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 343IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.