Baked Spaghetti is hearty and family friendly with a crispy cheesy top layer and ground beef filling; your kids will ask for baked spaghetti every week!
The more classic version of baked spaghetti, it costs less than our Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti (I kid I kid, we don’t use cream cheese in this version) and is easier to make than our Ultimate Meat Lasagna.
BAKED SPAGHETTI
Baked Spaghetti is the perfect make ahead meal parents. I’m telling you, if our kids could vote on dinner every night, I’d be serving this 4 days a week. And when I do serve it I take it from my freezer! We try to bring more classic meals into the rotation than just this baked spaghetti. Here are some of our favorite classic dinners:
More Classic Dinner Recipes:
- Classic Pot Roast with Vegetables – with oven, slow cooker and instant pot directions, this is a family favorite!
- Classic Beef Meatloaf – this recipe is tested and loved by clients over 10 years!
- Perfect Simple Roast Chicken – this chicken is guaranteed to be crispy skinned!
- Oven Baked Chicken and Rice – the chicken flavors the rice and the top layer is perfectly crispy!
- Oven Baked Beef Tacos – enjoy your dinner too, all the tacos are prepped and made ahead then baked!
If it’s your first time cooking a baked spaghetti recipe, this is a good one to try. Dinner tonight starts out like a traditional pasta dinner and ends like a hybrid of spaghetti and lasagna.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti:
- Boil the spaghetti noodles until al dente, or one minute shy of the directions.
- Brown your meat in a skillet and add in the Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce.
- Whisk eggs, cheese and butter together and stir in your cooked spaghetti.
- Layer your spaghetti mixture into a dish with layers of cheese and meat sauce.
What you are making is basically a baked spaghetti casserole. But the best version of one you’ll ever taste. With crispy edges, mozzarella and cottage cheese this is a dish people will crowd the pan asking for seconds.
WHAT GOES WITH BAKED SPAGHETTI?
- Garlic Bread: A traditional favorite, and the perfect way to scoop up extra sauce.
- Roasted Green Beans: Add some greens to the mix and roast them alongside the baking noodles.
- Italian Salad Dressing: Try this dressing drizzled on garlic bread to give it an extra kick.
A great way to end a rich dinner is with a light, fluffy Angel Food Cake.
Alternatives to ground beef
- Italian sausage: the seasonings in Italian sausage add a kick of flavor to the baked spaghetti.
- Ground turkey: an alternative to red meat that is delicious and filling.
- Ground tofu: tofu takes on a lot of the flavor of the sauce, and is a delicious vegetarian option.
- Jackfruit: This one takes a little more prep, but its meaty texture is hearty and tasty.
- Mushrooms: Delicious and versatile, mushrooms are great browned in melted butter.
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SLOW COOKER VERSION
If you are going to be out all day and want something ready when you get home, slow cookers are a great way to go. Slow cooking the spaghetti lets it stew in its own juices, infusing it with flavor.
- Cook the spaghetti noodles in a pot of boiling water until al dente (still firm.)
- Brown the ground beef in a pan with the chopped onion until cooked through, and then add in the marinara sauce and stir on medium heat.
- Mix the eggs, cheese and butter together and add the cooked spaghetti noodles.
- Layer the spaghetti mixture and the meat sauce into the slow cooker, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
STORING THE LEFTOVERS
You can store your baked spaghetti and eat the left overs for a quick dinner later. According to USDA’s website:
- Serving: You can leave the baked spaghetti out after serving for no longer than 2 hours.
- Storing: You can store the spaghetti in a fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze for 3 months.
WHY BAKE?
Baking spaghetti instead of just boiling it gives you the crispy, cheesy top layer that lasagna fans love. This easy baked spaghetti is a great middle ground between spaghetti dishes and a Traditional Baked Ziti.
Baked Spaghetti is so much more than just tomato sauce over noodles, this easy recipe is a great meal for weekdays, since you will have leftovers for later dinners. Make it for the whole family and let the kids scoop out what they want (you’ll be surprised how much they eat.)
Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 4 cups Marinara Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 2 cups cottage cheese , divided
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded and divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9x13 baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
- Cook pasta 2 minutes shy of the directions.
Add meat and onions to a large skillet on medium-high heat and brown while breaking it apart until fully cooked, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add in the Marinara Sauce and mix well.
- Toss the noodles in the salt, eggs and butter.
- Put half the pasta in the bottom of the baking dish, then add half the cottage cheese, half the meat sauce and half the mozzarella.
- Top with the rest of the noodles, the rest of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese on top is crispy and golden brown.
If I store in the refrigerator for a few days after making it I just reheat it like originally cooked?
Yes, you can just place it in the oven tightly covered with foil and cook for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I usually like to sprinkle a bit of pasta sauce over it first to add some moisture back in. Good luck!
where do the eggs come in on this dish
In step 5. You’ll toss the noddles in with the salt, eggs and butter. Enjoy!
I substituted plain Greek yogurt for the cottage cheese and it was so unbelievably delicious! Between 5 people there wasn’t any left! Thank you for this tasty recipe!
Yay!! Definitely sounds like a winner!
Can I substitute the cottage cheese with greek yogurt?
Yes 🙂
Made this for supper tonight and it was marvelous. So moist & yummy!
If I’m prepping this 24 hours in advance, would I bake it or leave it for the next day? Thanks; I look forward to trying it!
You can do it either way.
Can I use sour cream instead of cottage cheese or ricotta? I use it in a baked ziti for creaminess, so I thought it might work in this as well. If so, how much would you suggest, the same as the cottage cheese?
Sure 🙂 I’d use the same amount.
This is excellent and easy. My DL isn’t a fan of cottage cheese, so I left it out.
A tasty, easy recipe, but it’s incredibly high in fat/saturated fat per serving. To help eliminate some of this, use a low-fat cottage cheese; it won’t change the flavor of the dish. Definitely eliminate the 5 tablespoons of butter as it’s totally unnecessary. Lastly, remove the eggs as they did nothing to help bind the spaghetti in my preparation. Changing those three things helps eliminate fat and calories.
My kids don’t care for the cottage cheese, is there something I could substitute for it, or omit all together? It does look delicious.
You could always add ricotta cheese instead.
I never leave reviews for recipes, but I made this last night and had to say thank you! My entire family loved this, and that never happens! My youngest son has autism and is an extremely picky eater, but even he devoured this. My husband is still talking about it! I will admit that I’m not a fan of cottage cheese and was nervous about it, but it totally works in this. Thank you!
This makes me so happy! I’m glad you loved it so much to want to come back and let me know, Lindsay.
I do not cook or bake a lot but tonight I wanted to make a special dinner for my family… I’m SO GLAD I tried this recipe. SUPER simple, everybody was raving! I will be making this again soon. Thank you so much! 5?????
Yay!! Glad you decided to give it a try.
“So this is what heaven tastes like” that’s a direct quote from 7-yr-old? needless to say, this was a hit. Thanks for a great, comfort food recipe!
Haha, I love it!!
Hi- with the cottage cheese, am I just layering it or do I mix it in? Cottage cheese is intimidating me for some reason!!
No need to be intimidated. You’ll be layering the cottage cheese, no need to mix it in. 🙂
I have a very hard time getting my family to eat leftovers, but this baked spaghetti was gone the next day! This is definitely a keeper.
Wonderful! I’m so glad it worked well the next day! That recipe is a family favorite.
What is the temp it’s cooked on?
Never mind I apparently over read it, sorry 🙁
This recipe was amazing! I loved the ingredients and the instructions. Dinner was amazing! I just need it to be a little more details in the instructions. Other than that it’s perfect!
So happy that you enjoyed!
Hi Sabrina,
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Yes 🙂
Any change in instructions once frozen?
I usually let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then it might need a bit longer in the oven. Enjoy!
Made this tonight following the recipe except for the following: used ricotta and added a little oregano (personal preference). It was very good and we went back for seconds. I might add a little more meat next time – again personal preference. If you follow the recipe as written you will not be disappointed. It is also a tasty recipe for a potluck. I’ve saved the recipe in my “will make again” file.
Thanks so much Nettie. I’m honored to be added to your make again file. 🙂
how do you view the video of the recipe you are cooking and viewing, instead of a video of “my other recipes “
Check out my facebook page. There is a section with all of our videos and you can scroll through and select the specific ones you want to view. Hope this helps!
can you replace the cottage cheese with ricotta cheese. I dont like cottage cheese at all
Yes though it does add a different texture to the dish. Enjoy!
Loved every bite of this cheesy, savory dish! Had nothing but smiling faces all around our dinner table; delish!
I’d call that a winner then! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Hi Sabrina, can you elaborate what I’m supposed to do with the butter and eggs for the pasta dish. I’m a little confused. Thanks.
You toss the noodles in the eggs, salt and butter to coat them. Hope this helps.
Anyone have issues with the eggs scrambling with the hot noodles when tossed? If so, does it taste okay once baked? Because that just happened. Noodles should probably cool before tossing?
Oh no! You can definitely let the noodles cool before mixing it to avoid that happening.
Just made this for dinner waiting to see how it comes out. Looks delicious!!
I have never tried baked spaghetti before but this looks so heavenly, I’ve got to give it a go. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome!
Oh man, our dinner tonight looks nowhere as good as this casserole!
Haha, make this instead!!
I love the cheesy crust on top. This is something my family is going to love!
Fantastic! I know how hard it is at times to please everyone.
Can I make this without cottage cheese? I don’t have anything on hand to use
You can leave it out it just won’t be as creamy inside. Enjoy!
I’ve really been craving comfort food lately and have been eating lots of casseroles and spaghetti – this recipe looks like the best of both worlds! Yum!
Definitely!
Making this right now! Looks delicious!
Hi-You mentioned using provolone cheese in the article but not in the recipe.
Not sure how that got in the text, thanks for catching it. I did test it using provolone but ended up not including it in the recipe.
Hi Sabrina–All I can say—is—you are one of the best and most-talented cooks on the internet–thank you so much for all the reicpes you share with us–I will give this baked spaghetti a try–it looks delicious–
You’re so sweet! Thank you.
Can this be made without the cottage cheese? My husband really doesn’t like the cottage cheese.
You could substitute with ricotta cheese but it offer a milder flavor and finer texture in the baked spaghetti. Enjoy!