Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti

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I’ll show you how to make Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti casserole that everyone loves! Baked spaghetti is perfect for any weeknight or special occasion.

My Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti is a twist on a classic family friendly dish. We will discuss how long to cook spaghetti for the perfect result. This is a baked spaghetti recipe that everyone will devour. I promise.

This simple dinner recipe is a casserole that comes together quickly, requires very little preparation, and goes great with your choice of crusty bread. We love serving this Million Dollar Spaghetti recipe with some Louisiana garlic bread, it makes for an amazing dinner that feels fancy but is quick and easy enough for weeknights!

Here’s what you will need to make my baked spaghetti recipe:

There’s nothing spectacular happening here. The zesty tomato sauce will come together with the ground beef and pasta to create a magical Million Dollar Spaghetti casserole that everyone will rave about but there’s no secret ingredients. If you’ve tried my One Pan Pizza Pasta Casserole, you know how simple ingredients yield the best dinners sometimes.

These are all likely things you have on hand right now. If you are looking for a way to elevate your regular spaghetti night, give this baked million dollar spaghetti a try, it will be your new favorite! I may even like it better than my Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs Casserole. I will say that it is a toss-up, for sure.

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ of a large white or yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 6 cups red pasta sauce (homemade or jarred)
• 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Can I use a different kind of ground meat?

You can use whatever kind of ground meat you have on hand. Ground beef works well but ground turkey or chicken will also work pretty nicely in this recipe. If you have one or the other readily available feel free to swap it out, the tangy sauce and cheeses will handle the bulk of the flavor no matter which kind of meat you use!

How to make baked spaghetti:

Learning how to make baked spaghetti is not really difficult. The tricky part is learning how long to cook spaghetti so that it doesn’t overcook and turn to mush when you are baking it. It’s been my experience that leaving the pasta al dente will help keep it from getting too soft during the baking process. I also talked about this in my Bacon Alfredo Pasta Bake post.

Let’s dive right in and take a look at how to make baked million dollar spaghetti. You’ll be sorry you didn’t find this recipe sooner, it’s easy and always a crowd pleaser!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9×13 baking dish.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti to al dente, according to package directions. Drain. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet add the ground beef, onions, garlic, salt and pepper and cook on medium/high heat.
4. Once ground beef is no longer pink, remove from heat and drain the grease.
5. Add in one cup of the pasta sauce.
6. Add the cooked spaghetti to the remaining 5 cups of the pasta sauce and mix to combine.
7. Mix the softened cream cheese and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Make sure not to leave any big chunks or cream cheese.
8. Add half the sauce/pasta mixture to the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
9. Add the cream cheese mixture next and then top with the remaining sauce/pasta mixture.
10. Add the meat sauce mixture on top of the pasta.
11.  Sprinkle the top evenly with remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
12.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
13. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
14. Sprinkle chopped, fresh parsley on top. Enjoy!

You’ll notice that my baked spaghetti recipe calls for cream cheese…that’s no accident. The cream cheese adds an extra layer of deliciousness to this dish. It makes the baked spaghetti casserole creamy and indulgent. It gives it almost a lasagna style flavor and texture!

Make sure to layer on that mozzarella for the top. It will get bubbly and delicious and eventually brown a bit at the very end. That will give this baked spaghetti recipe an amazing crust and add some saltiness to the dish overall. It also makes this recipe look great going straight from the oven to the table for serving!

Can I prepare a baked spaghetti casserole in advance?

You can prepare this baked spaghetti recipe in advance and do everything except the final baking (from steps 12-14) at a later time. If you do that, be prepared to give the casserole an extra 5-10 minutes to bake since it’s starting from a much lower temperature!

This is a great recipe to use for meal prep (much like any pasta casserole recipes) since you can also make a whole batch and save leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week. Like most pasta recipes this will hold up well in the refrigerator and it’s super easy to reheat throughout the week.

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