Million Dollar Spaghetti

This Million Dollar Spaghetti is an impressive pasta bake for a crowd. With layers of noodles, meat sauce, and cheese, it's ready an hour. Perfect to make in advance too, we've been eating this recipe at potlucks for years.

If you are looking for a pasta recipe that will impress anyone, let us introduce you to our Million Dollar Spaghetti. This is such a fun recipe that's grand in appearance with layers of noodles, meat sauce, and lots of creamy and shredded cheese.

We can attest that both kids and adults love it - this easy spaghetti bake is a recipe we see at every church picnic and it's usually the first thing that's eaten up! You can use whatever ground meat you like, we love a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage.

If you love a good pasta, we have that in common! Be sure to try our viral Taco Pasta and Pizza Pasta recipe. You won't be disappointed!

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• An easy pasta bake that's simpler to assemble than a lasagna. Forget the complicated layers of a lasagna, this spaghetti bake is super simple to assemble, you will be amazed.
• Easy to assemble advance. When you're feeding a crowd for dinner, the holidays, or really any gathering, we like to assemble this the morning of and bake it right before eating.
• Hearty meal that's made in an hour and makes great leftovers. Yes, trust us when we say you can have this on the table in an hour! And if you're lucky there will be leftovers to eat the next day too.

Ingredients

Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card

Spaghetti Layer:

• Spaghetti: The noodles that make this pasta bake what it is! They add a great texture and fun look.
• Marinara sauce: Choose your favorite store-bought brand here or you can make it from scratch.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese: We like to buy a block and shred it ourselves for an extra gooey quality.
• Olive oil: The cooking fat for the recipe, choose a high quality brand.

Meat Sauce Layer:

• Ground beef and/or Italian sausage: We love to use either! You can even use spicy Italian sausage if desired. Usually we use half ground beef and half sausage for great flavor.
• Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic cloves are best, they infuse each bite with the flavor we all love.
• Dried minced onion: This adds lots of onion flavor with just a little spoonful.
• Marinara sauce: We also use marinara in the meat sauce layer for an extra saucy texture.
• Italian seasoning: The dried spice blend that compliments this pasta recipe so nicely.
• Optional garnishes: Sliced green onions or snipped fresh basil are both delicious.

Cheese Layer:

• Cream cheese: Be sure to soften before using for easy mixing. This adds so much creaminess.
• Cottage cheese or ricotta: We love ricotta for a high-protein option or cottage cheese is always delicious too.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese: Buy a block and shred it yourself, this adds more meltiness to the cheese layer. Some pre-shredded cheeses are coated in a cornstarch powder that doesn't melt as nicely.
• Shredded cheddar cheese: We love adding a hint of cheddar too for it's sharp flavor.

Tools You’ll Need

• 13"x9" Baking Dish
• Stockpot
• Large Skillet
• Tongs
• Garlic Press
• Colander
• Meat Chopper
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Spatula
• Rotary Cheese Grater (optional)

How to Make Million Dollar Spaghetti

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-baking dish with nonstick spray or butter.
2. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and place in the prepared baking dish.
3. Fold the cooked spaghetti with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Spread evenly. Drizzle with olive oil.

4. In a large skillet, cook the ground meat over medium heat until browned. Drain any excess fat. Add garlic, dried minced onion, Italian seasoning, and seasoning salt. Cook 1 minute.

5. Stir in marinara sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Pour the mixture over the spaghetti layer and spread evenly.

7. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of the cheddar cheese and salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.
8. Using a scoop or spoon, dollop the cheese mixture all over the meat sauce layer. Spread in an even layer with the back of a spoon or offset spatula.

9. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top.

10. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
11. Cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish if desired.

Expert Tips

• Drain excess fat from the meat before combining. This is super important so that you don't have a greasy Million Dollar Spaghetti bake.
• Cook the spaghetti to al dente according to the package instructions. You want the pasta to have a bit of a bite to it since it will continue to cook in the oven and become even softer. We want to avoid the pasta becoming mushy.
• Follow the baking instructions for covering with foil. We bake with foil on top of the casserole for most of the bake time to ensure that everything is cooking at an even rate. We uncover for the last few minutes of baking to make sure the cheesy melts beautifully and becomes golden brown.
• Customize the pasta bake. You could swap the noodles, but we guarantee it won't be as classic or delicious as the baked spaghetti. Add other Italian herbs and even swap the ground beef for turkey or chicken if desired.

Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions

Store any leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.

This casserole freezes beautifully, just wrap with plastic and freeze for up to 2 months. We like to even cut it into individual portions before freezing so that it's easy to thaw and then reheat.

Million Dollar Spaghetti is also a great make-ahead recipe for a crowd! You can assemble the bake earlier in the day and keep in the fridge. Just bake when the guests come over for easy meal prep.

More Simple Pasta Recipes

• One Pan Pasta
• Creamy Steak Pasta
• Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake
• Sausage and Pepper Pasta