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Square overhead shot of a pan of million dollar baked spaghetti on a wooden table.
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5 from 5 votes

Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti

This easy million dollar spaghetti is family-friendly comfort food!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword baked spaghetti, million dollar baked spaghetti, million dollar spaghetti, million dollar spaghetti recipe, spaghetti million dollar
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 515kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

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.
    Marinara sauce spread in a square white casserole dish.
  • Cook spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente. Drain.
    Cooked spaghetti in a pot.
  • 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.
    Ground beef and marinara sauce in a cast iron skillet.
  • Add half of the meat sauce (about 1 ¼ cups) to the cooked spaghetti; toss to coat. Set aside.
    Spaghetti noodles with meat sauce in a pot.
  • 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.
    Cream cheese sauce for million dollar spaghetti.
  • 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.
    Process shot showing how to make million dollar spaghetti.
  • 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.
    Square overhead shot of a pan of million dollar baked spaghetti on a wooden table.

Notes

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 casserole | Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 882mg | Potassium: 682mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1411IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 327mg | Iron: 3mg