Million Dollar Spaghetti

5 from 2 votes

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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, pasta, pork

Servings: servings

Calories: 480kcal

Ingredients

Spaghetti Layer

12 ounces spaghetti
8 ounces marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil

Meat Sauce Layer

2 pounds ground beef and/or Italian sausage
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
32 ounces marinara sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
seasoning salt or salt and black pepper amount as desired
Optional garnishes: sliced green onions or snipped fresh basil

Cheese Layer

8 ounces cream cheese softened
2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
seasoning salt or salt ad black pepper amount as desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-baking dish with nonstick spray or butter.
Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and place in the prepared baking dish.
Fold the cooked spaghetti with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Spread evenly. Drizzle with olive oil.
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.
Stir in marinara sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour the mixture over the spaghetti layer and spread evenly.
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.
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.
Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top.
Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
Cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish if desired.

Video

Notes

Storage:

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.

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.

Nutrition

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