Baked Spaghetti

This easy baked spaghetti is cheesy, comforting, and perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s quick to prep, makes great leftovers, and doubles as a freezer-friendly meal!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

Easy Baked Spaghetti

This cheesy baked spaghetti is one of my favorite freezer meals. It’s perfect for busy weeknights with some homemade garlic bread.

This baked spaghetti casserole is an easy and delicious comfort meal. It has 4 different kinds of cheese inside and is coated in a flavorful pasta sauce. It’s similar to lasagna and my favorite million dollar spaghetti. Talk about delicious!

How to Make Baked Spaghetti

• Brown ground beef: Add hamburger to a large pan and heat over medium-high heat. Break apart with a spoon, then add in onions. Cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Cook meat until browned. S&P to taste, then add in Italian seasoning.
• Add sauce and simmer: Add in spaghetti sauce and let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
• Cook spaghetti: Cook spaghetti noodles about 6 minutes, or until al dente. Do not overcook. Once noodles are drained, add in the cream cheese and toss. Add in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Then toss together with the sauce.
• Bake in the oven. Press spaghetti into a greased 9×13″ pan. Add remaining mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and parmesan to the top of the casserole. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 30-40 minutes.

Freezer Friendly Bake Spaghetti

This baked spaghetti makes a great freezer meal and is perfect for busy nights or meal prepping ahead. I often freeze half the batch before baking to save for later. Just follow the steps below to freeze and reheat.

• To freeze: Do not bake. Combine the sauce and noodles and then allow to cool completely. Once cooled, add to a freezer container and top with remaining cheese. Label with the date (I love these freezer labels), then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• To thaw: Remove from freezer and place in refrigerator. Let thaw overnight, then cook in the oven at 350°F for 30-40 minutes.

Baked Spaghetti

5 from 14 votes

Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 8

This baked spaghetti is a hearty and comforting baked pasta dish! Made with a delicious meat sauce and cheesy, creamy noodles it's then oven-baked until hot and golden.

Print Pin This! SaveSaved Rate

Ingredients 

• 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey , or Italian sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic , minced
• 24 ounce jar marinara or spaghetti sauce
• 12 ounces thin spaghetti noodles
• 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
• ½ cup cottage cheese , can sub ricotta cheese or sour cream
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese , divided
• 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Optional: Fresh basil, S&P, Italian seasoning

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
• Add hamburger to a large pan and heat over medium-high heat. Break apart with a spoon. Add onions and cook until they become soft (about 3-5 min). Then add garlic and cook a minute longer. Cook meat until browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in a teaspoon of Italian seasoning if desired.
• Add in spaghetti sauce and let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
• Cook spaghetti noodles al dente, about 6 minutes. Do not overcook. Reserve 1 cup of water for pasta sauce and then drain. Add up to 1/2-1 cup of the water to the red sauce.
• When the noodles are drained, add in the cream cheese and toss together. Once it has started to melt, add in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Then toss together with the sauce. Then press into the pan.
• Add remaining mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and parmesan to the top if desired.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

• For a thinner sauce, add in 1/2 cup of the pasta water before simmering.
• To freeze: Do not bake. Combine sauce and noodles and then cool completely. Then add to a freezer container and top with remaining cheese. Label with the date, then store in freezer for up to 3 months.
• To thaw: Let thaw in the fridge overnight, then cook in the oven according to directions. 

See Nutrition Info

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 731mg, Potassium: 637mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 708IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 174mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.