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This easy million dollar spaghetti is a baked casserole with layers of cheese, meat sauce, and noodles. Similar to lasagna, the flavorful dinner is classic comfort food!
Table of Contents
Looking for more baked pasta recipes? Try my dump-and-bake meatball casserole, ground beef and corn casserole, or baked ziti with sausage!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Million dollar spaghetti is a baked spaghetti casserole that’s similar to lasagna, as it includes layers of noodles, tomato meat sauce, and a rich cream cheese and ricotta filling. The classic dish gets its name because it tastes like a million bucks! Here’s why it will quickly become a staple in your family’s weeknight meal rotation:
- Budget-Friendly: this baked spaghetti is made with easy-to-find, inexpensive ingredients that satisfy even the heartiest appetites!
- Make-Ahead: you can assemble the casserole in advance and bake it when you’re ready. This makes it ideal for busy weeknights, for entertaining, and for sharing a meal with those in need.
- Kid-Friendly: most families love ground beef, pasta, and cheese, so this “million dollar spaghetti” is sure to please everyone at the table.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of million dollar baked spaghetti. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Marinara sauce: use a jar of your favorite store-bought spaghetti sauce for convenience, or use homemade marinara if time allows.
- Spaghetti: you’ll need just half of a 16-ounce box. Save the other half for another meal!
- Cream cheese: use a block of full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Butter: adds richness to the cheese mixture and brings it all together.
- Ricotta cheese: or sub with cottage cheese if that’s your preference. If using cottage cheese, strain off any excess liquid, and look for a small-curd or whipped variety.
- Sour cream: for a bit of rich and creamy acidic tang.
- Ground beef: or sub with Italian sausage for even more flavor. Ground turkey or ground chicken will also work!
- Shredded Italian cheese blend (or mozzarella cheese) and Parmesan cheese: because every spaghetti casserole needs plenty of ooey, gooey, melty cheese on top!
How to Make Million Dollar Spaghetti
While there are a few different steps involved in assembling this casserole, the process is very easy. I’ve included detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Cook pasta.
- Brown the ground beef; stir in the marinara.
- Toss half of the meat sauce with the cooked noodles.
- Whisk together the cream cheese mixture.
- Layer the spaghetti mixture, the cheese sauce, and the meat sauce in a baking dish.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the million dollar baked spaghetti casserole with any of these easy sides:
- Garlic Bread, Breadsticks, or No-Knead Focaccia Bread
- Green Side Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Kale Apple Salad with Bacon, Wedge Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Broccoli or Broccoli and Cheese
- Sauteed Spinach
- Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter, Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Sauteed Zucchini or Roasted Yellow Squash
- Fennel Salad with Apples and Creamy Cider Dressing
- Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: assemble the casserole in advance, but do not bake. Wrap tightly with foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking, or freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw overnight in the fridge, and then allow the refrigerated dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before baking.
- How to Bake from Frozen: if baking the casserole directly from the freezer, bake the dish covered in a 350°F oven for 35 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until heated through.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat the casserole in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warm. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute.
Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole Recipe Variations
- For a vegetarian casserole, use plant-based meat crumbles or omit the meat entirely. Alternatively, you can add sauteed bell peppers, onion, and sliced mushrooms in lieu of the meat.
- Swap out the spaghetti noodles and use another pasta shape instead.
- Use cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese. If using cottage cheese, look for a small curd or whipped variety, and strain off any extra liquid.
- Swap out the ground beef and replace it with Italian sausage, ground turkey, ground pork, or pork sausage.
Tips for the Best Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti Recipe
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Boil the spaghetti just until it’s al dente (or 1 minutes less), so that it still has a firm bite. The noodles will continue to cook in the oven, and you don’t want to end up with mushy spaghetti in your casserole.
- Cook the pasta in well salted water. This is your chance to properly season the spaghetti.
- Allow the baked spaghetti to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This will help it set up so that it’s easier to cut.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, basil, thyme, or other herbs for a bright, fresh finishing touch.
- To feed a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the casserole in a 9 x 13-inch dish. You may need to increase the baking time by about 5-10 minutes.
More Baked Spaghetti Recipes to Try
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
5-Ingredient Amish Easy Baked Spaghetti
45 minutes mins
Chicken and Noodle Casserole
45 minutes mins
Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
This easy million dollar spaghetti is family-friendly comfort food!
Ingredients
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce), divided
- 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- ½ lb. ground beef or ground Italian sausage
- 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (or sub with cottage cheese)
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend (or sub with shredded mozzarella)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, or thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spread a very thin layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan (about ¼ cup). Set aside.
- Cook spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente. Drain.
- While the spaghetti cooks, brown the ground beef or sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the remaining marinara sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Add half of the meat sauce (about 1 ¼ cups) to the cooked spaghetti; toss to coat. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, ricotta (or cottage cheese), sour cream, butter, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (if using cottage cheese, omit the salt), and ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Spread half of the spaghetti mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture and then half of the remaining meat sauce over top. Repeat the layers with the remaining spaghetti mixture, the remaining cream cheese mixture, and the remaining meat sauce. Finish by sprinkling the shredded Italian cheese and grated Parmesan cheese over top.
- Bake, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Place the dish under the broiler for a minute or two if you’d like the cheese even browner and crispier on top. Let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Boil the spaghetti just until it’s al dente (or 1 minutes less), so that it still has a firm bite. The noodles will continue to cook in the oven, and you don’t want to end up with mushy spaghetti in your casserole.
- Cook the pasta in well salted water. This is your chance to properly season the spaghetti.
- Allow the baked spaghetti to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This will help it set up so that it’s easier to cut.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, basil, thyme, or other herbs for a bright, fresh finishing touch.
- To feed a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the casserole in a 9 x 13-inch dish. You may need to increase the baking time by about 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the casseroleCalories: 515kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 27gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 882mgPotassium: 682mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1411IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 327mgIron: 3mg
I think I’m going to try subbing in spaghetti squash for the spaghetti pasta. Do you think I should make any modifications when trying that?
Hi Cassie! We haven’t tested it, but it should work. Just keep in mind that spaghetti squash has a much higher water content. So, you may need to adjust the amount of sauce used, and keep an eye on the oven to make sure it doesn’t burn. Please let us know how it goes if you do try it out!
I had saved this recipe and made it tonight…..delicious!
Thank you, Rachel! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
If I wanted to skip the meat, what adjustments would I need to make? Also, if I wanted to use elbow macaroni, could I make this recipe? And, especially, if I omitted the meat, could I add some vegetables like in some of your other casseroles? Like a cupful, maybe?
Let me say. This recipes sounds absolutely drool-delicious just as written. I just wonder what adaptions I can make based on budget, saving steps, using what I’ve got in the house, ect.
You could just omit the meat, or sub with about 1 cup of cooked veggies. An equal amount of elbow macaroni or other pasta should be fine. Let us know if you make any adjustments!
Is there a substitute for the cream cheese? I just don’t want to make a trip to the store and I have everything else!
Hi, Deni! I think you could probably use cottage cheese instead of the cream cheese — it will just have a slightly different taste/texture. You might even be able to omit the cream cheese altogether, and just use a ricotta mixture (similar to a cheese layer in lasagna). Again, it will have a different consistency, but that would likely work well, too!
Thanks! I had already planned to use the little bit of cottage cheese I have for the ricotta, and am draining some Greek yogurt for the cream cheese after researching on line. It may be tangy but I’ll let you know how it turns out. I really love your posts on Sunday with the gorgeous photos and great recipes! Thanks!
Sounds great, Deni. Let us know how it works out!
It turned out very nicely! I will get the ingredients and try the original next time, but it was great subbing in what I had! Thanks again and happy thanksgiving to your family!
This turned out great! I dropped the meat and made it vegetarian…the cream cheese and sour cream give it a nice taste. I will try it with a meat sauce next time.
We’re so glad it turned out well for you, Connie! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave feedback.