This Easy Baked Spaghetti is a one-pan meal that’s always a hit at the supper table or at a covered dish supper. With a creamy, cheesy center, and a meaty sauce, this pasta casserole is comfort food taken to a whole new level!
In This Post
Baked Spaghetti Casserole is one of those feel-good dinners I turn to when I want something easy and satisfying. This cozy casserole is loaded with savory beef, rich sauce, and lots of cheese—all baked together into one happy, hearty meal. It’s weeknight comfort made easy.
5-Star Reader Comment
This is the best baked spaghetti I have ever had! Husband and guest loved it!
Sue
Don’t miss my spaghetti casserole recipes like Rotel Chicken Spaghetti and Easy Taco Spaghetti, which are hearty, delicious meals that are also freezer-friendly.
Spaghetti Casserole Ingredients
- Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef for this recipe.
- Medium Onion: Adding a yellow onion to the sauce is a trick to enhance store-bought marinara.
- Marinara Sauce: I like to use Rao’s because it uses very simple ingredients with no additives from other store-bought sauces. You can also use my homemade spaghetti sauce.
- Cottage Cheese: This is one of the ingredients that really sets this spaghetti bake recipe apart. Cottage cheese is much creamier than ricotta and packs in more protein.
- Parmesan Cheese: Use freshly grated parmesan cheese to add a wonderful saltiness and rich flavor.
- Eggs: Helps to bind the parmesan mixture, making a true casserole that can be cut and served.
- Spaghetti: Classic spaghetti is my favorite, but you can also use whole wheat pasta as well.
- Cream Cheese: Our reader Angela said, “The cream cheese makes this recipe pop with creamy cheesiness,” and I agree.
- Mozzarella: No Italian spaghetti bake is complete without that mouthwatering mozzarella cheese pull!
Variations and Additions
- Substitute ground turkey or Italian sausage (like in my Italian Sausage Ravioli Bake) for the beef.
- If you are trying to eat more vegetables, this sauce is a great place to toss in mushrooms, zucchini, and diced bell pepper.
- Fancy up the meat sauce with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
What You’ll Need to Make It
- A 9×13-inch baking dish (go ahead and lightly grease it for easy cleanup.)
- A large skillet for cooking the beef.
- A stirring spoon and cheese grater for prepping ingredients.
- Kitchen tongs for mixing pasta and sauce.
How to Make Easy Baked Spaghetti
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook the ground beef and onion in a large skillet.
Step 2 – Drain the fat, mix in the marinara sauce, and let simmer. While that cooks, make the spaghetti noodles as directed on the package.
How Long Should I Cook Spaghetti?
Pasta should always be cooked in a large pot of salted water to al dente, which means cooked through but still having a bite to it. This is especially important because the spaghetti in the oven will continue to cook in the sauce and cheese mixture.
Step 3 – When the spaghetti is drained, add the cream cheese and mix well to completely coat the noodles. The mixture will be thick, so I recommend tongs to stir the noodles.
Step 4 – Place approximately ½ cup of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Place half of the spaghetti on top of the meat mixture, smoothing to the edges of the baking dish. Layer on cottage cheese mixture, covering all of the spaghetti.
Step 5 – Layer remaining spaghetti over cheese. Spoon the remaining meat mixture over all layers. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake.
Step 6 – Remove the foil, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.
Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly Tips
- Prep ahead: Assemble the casserole the night before and refrigerate. Bake it fresh in the morning—no stress, no fuss!
- Freeze and reheat: Bake once, cool, then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, bake at 350°F until warmed through, and expect a hearty, delicious casserole anytime.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Microwave individual portions or reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes—just like fresh!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small to medium onion – chopped
- 1 24 oz jar Marinara sauce – I use Rao’s
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese – grated
- 1 egg
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 8 oz softened cream cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese – grated
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until done. Drain off fat. Pour Mariana sauce over the meat and mix well.
- In a large pot, cook spaghetti to al dente (firm and not over cooked). When done, drain. Add the softened cream cheese and mix well, coating all spaghetti. The mixture will be thick, so I recommend using tongs to stir.
- Mix together, in a medium size bowl, cottage cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese and egg.
- To build baked spaghetti, place approximately ½ cup of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Place half of the spaghetti on top of the meat mixture, smoothing to the edges of the casserole dish. Layer on cottage cheese mixture, covering all of the spaghetti. Layer remaining spaghetti over cheese.
- Spoon the remaining meat mixture over all layers. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle on ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is golden brown.
- Remove from and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
Video
Notes
- For more sauce: this easy baked spaghetti with jar sauce recipe is great because you can easily add a little more or less sauce, depending on your family’s preferences. You can also heat leftover sauce and serve it on the side if you like.
- To make ahead: follow the recipe, but do not bake. Cover with foil and store in the fridge until you’re ready to cook and serve.
- To freeze: follow the recipe as written, but instead of baking it, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, let it thaw overnight the night before, then bake as directed.
- Store leftover baked spaghetti covered with aluminum foil or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the oven or individual servings in the microwave.
Nutrition
Questions And Answers
Yes! Use sautéed mushrooms and bell peppers instead of beef, and add extra herbs for flavor.
Absolutely—just use two 9×13 pans. One’s for now, one’s for later!
Try Pepper Jack for spice, or a combination of ricotta and mozzarella for extra creaminess.
What To Serve With Oven Baked Spaghetti
My favorite way to turn this into a full spaghetti dinner is with Antipasto Skewers, garlic parmesan skillet rolls, easy everyday green salad, and everyone’s favorite cinnamon sugar dessert pizza!
Craving More? Try These Pasta Recipes
If you tried this Easy Baked Spaghetti Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
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This sounds absolutely delicious! I love baked spaghetti. I’m obsessed with reading through directions before I start a recipe and needed to know… do I layer just 1/2 cup of the meat sauce initially or should it be 1/2 of the entire meat sauce ? Thanks. I can’t wait to try this recipe
Hey Nancy!
Thank you so much for your interest and support, that’s a great question! It’s half a cup of the sauce at the bottom of your pan when you begin layering, then half your spaghetti, then your cottage cheese mixture, then the rest of your spaghetti and sauce. I hope you like this recipe! Let me know how it goes!
~Donya
Delicious! Has anyone tried freezing it before cooking?
Hey there!
Thank you so much for your fantastic rating! I haven’t personally tried freezing it before cooking but I’m sure it would work well. I would just make sure that it’s in an air tight container. Let me know how it goes!
~Donya
Oh my GOODNESS 😍 This an absolute favorite dish of mine. I am ridiculously thankful that you decided to share this recipe with the rest of the world!
Hey there Ashley!
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much, I am thrilled to hear that you’ve enjoyed this recipe! It’s a favorite weeknight meal in my house so I am really glad that you’re enjoying it as well. Thank you so much for your fantastic rating and your kind words, you’ve made my day! If you ever have any questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to reach out!
~Donya
This is an outstanding recipe. It’s truly Yummy good! 😋
Hey there Deborah!
Thank you so much for your rating and your kind comment! I really appreciate your support!
~Donya
My whole family loved this! I definitely will be making again but next time with a larger jar of sauce as it was a bit dry for our liking.
This dish is so good my friends couldn’t believe that I made it! I love it when the wives of my friends wanted the recipe! I tweeked it a bit using a little more cottage cheese and parmesan adding a little cheddar cheese to the top. I use ragu simply cause I love the taste. In fact, making it again tonight. Thanks so much sharing your culinary skills with me and helping me impress my friends.
I liked the flavor but it was too dry. Needs more sauce. Next time I’ll use a larger jar.
Even better than expected!!!! Super easy if directions are followed. I made for movie night today and WOW!!!! My 11 year old daughter got 3rds and she never eats 3rds of anything. Thank you thank you!
I made this last night, husband went for seconds! Just the 2 of us, going to eat leftovers tonight… it was that good! Thank you.
Thanks, Cheryl!
I love a good recipe that makes leftovers.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
~Donya
SERIOUSLY GOOD PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!! If this was a man…just kidding.,but seriously. Very tasty and easy to make. Of course, I had to add my own touches. So I used 1\2 pound of mild Italian sausage along with a pound of meat. I added saute’d onion and green bell pepper “chopped” and my own Italian seasonings. AND…instead of adding cream cheese, I just added more parmesan to the pasta to coat the pasta. Then, I mixed one egg and coated the noodles with that. And then…I baked it for 45 minutes and I removed the foil that I had placed over the dish before baking it, and cooked it 25 more minutes. And…enjoy 🙂
Love your changes Annie! Thank you so much for the rating. I’m doing a happy day over here.
Have a wonderful day,
~Donya
My family loved this. My husband and kids wolfed it down. I’m a vegetarian, so I didn’t have any. But, In the near future, I hope to make a vegetarian version. I added some Italian seasoning and a package of sliced fresh portabella mushrooms. I made a mistake and accidentally mixed my spaghetti with the cream cheese and the cottage cheese layer, it still turned out just fine!