This baked spaghetti is pasta tossed in a flavorful meat sauce, then topped with plenty of cheese and baked until golden brown . A super easy dinner option that’s great for feeding a large group!
Baked pasta is always a crowd pleaser, whether it’s chicken parmesan pasta , baked tortellini , or this simple yet satisfying baked spaghetti dish.
There’s nothing more traditional than spaghetti and meatballs, but rolling all those meatballs can be time consuming, especially if you have many mouths to feed. This baked spaghetti has all the great flavors of classic spaghetti and meatballs, but it’s much easier to make!
Enjoy this baked spaghetti dinner with side dishes and salads like cheesy pull apart bread , panzanella salad , Italian salad and Olive Garden minestrone soup .
Baked Spaghetti Ingredients
To make this baked spaghetti you will need olive oil, ground beef, Italian sausage, a yellow onion, garlic, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, salt and black pepper. When you assemble the casserole you will need cooked spaghetti noodles, mozzarella cheese and parsley.
How Do You Make Baked Spaghetti?
Make this baked spaghetti recipe by first preheating your oven and applying cooking spray to a baking pan. Next, cook ground beef and mild Italian sausage in a large skillet. Make sure to break up the meat into small crumbles and season it with salt and pepper. Add chopped onion to the pan and cook it through. Cook a little garlic in that pan and add marinara and tomato sauce. Stir everything together. After the sauce simmers a few minutes, toss some cooked spaghetti in the sauce. Pour the pasta and sauce into your baking pan and top it with mozzarella cheese. Bake the dish covered, and then uncovered, until the cheese is golden brown and melted. Serve the spaghetti with a little parsley on top and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Spaghetti Casserole
- Shred your own mozzarella cheese . Don’t use pre-shredded cheese which often has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting well.
- I typically use 90% lean ground beef – it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy. If you use beef with a higher percentage of fat, you may want to drain off some of the grease after cooking your beef and sausage.
- Use your favorite marinara sauce for this baked spaghetti recipe. I like Newman’s Own and Rao’s which have nice flavors and colors.
- You can make this sauce up to 3 days in advance . I like to make a double batch and freeze half for later use.
Quick Tip
This baked spaghetti recipe calls for cooked spaghetti . Simply boil your spaghetti noodles in salted water according to package directions. Then drain the pasta and use it for this recipe.
You can freeze a pan of baked spaghetti or individually wrapped servings of the spaghetti. It stays good in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, or bake from frozen. If the dish is frozen, you’ll need to add another 20-30 minutes to the baking time.
No, baked spaghetti is not the same as lasagna. Baked spaghetti contains cooked spaghetti, marinara sauce and meat baked with a layer of cheese on top. Lasagna has layers of flat, wide pasta with with sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella. They have similar flavors but baked spaghetti is more free-form than lasagna and generally doesn’t have ricotta cheese.
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Baked Spaghetti Variations
This baked spaghetti casserole recipe is delicious as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
- Meat: Try using ground turkey, turkey sausage, ground chicken or diced cooked chicken instead of ground beef and Italian sausage.
- Vegetables: Add sauteed vegetables to the sauce such as mushrooms, spinach, zucchini or bell peppers.
- Cheese: Instead of mozzarella try another cheese that melts well like provolone or fontina. You could even layer some ricotta cheese in the pasta to make it a little more like lasagna.
- Topping: You can add a crispy topping to the dish by mixing breadcrumbs with melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Just pour the mixture over the top of the pasta before baking it.
- Italian: For more Italian flavor, feel free to sprinkle some Italian seasoning into your sauce. You can purchase Italian seasoning or make your own Italian seasoning .
- Spicy: Add some crushed red pepper flakes to this dish to bring the heat.
What Side Dishes Go With Spaghetti?
Salads are great with baked spaghetti. They are a cool and crisp contrast to the warm pasta. I like to have caprese salad , arugula salad or even broccoli salad with spaghetti. I also like to have garlic flavored or cheesy breads with spaghetti. Some of my favorites are garlic knots and cheese bombs Make a feast with these fantastic side dishes !
This Italian food is easy to make and will delight your family and friends. Give this dish a try the next time you are in the mood for spaghetti!
More Pasta Dishes You’ll Enjoy
Mushroom Pasta with Bacon
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Pasta Carbonara
20 mins
Pasta Pomodoro Recipe
40 mins
Pizza Pasta
35 mins
Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
30 mins
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Ingredients1x2x3x
For the sauce
- ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ▢ 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- ▢ 1 pound mild Italian sausage casings removed
- ▢ 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- ▢ 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- ▢ 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- ▢ 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- ▢ salt and pepper to taste
For assembly
- ▢ 16 ounces spaghetti cooked according to package directions
- ▢ 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- ▢ cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
For the sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the meat for 3 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula. Add the onion to the pan. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until meat is browned and cooked through and onion is tender.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the marinara sauce and tomato sauce to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes.
For assembly
- Toss the cooked spaghetti with the sauce.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pasta is bubbly and cheese is melted and browned.
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Notes
- This recipe calls for cooked spaghetti. Simply boil your spaghetti noodles in salted water according to package directions. Then drain the pasta and use it for this recipe.
- Shred your own mozzarella cheese. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese which often has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting well.
- I typically use 90% lean ground beef – it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy.
Nutrition
Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage casings removed
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
For assembly
- 16 ounces spaghetti cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
For the sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the meat for 3 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula. Add the onion to the pan. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until meat is browned and cooked through and onion is tender.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the marinara sauce and tomato sauce to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes.
For assembly
- Toss the cooked spaghetti with the sauce.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pasta is bubbly and cheese is melted and browned.
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Notes
- This recipe calls for cooked spaghetti. Simply boil your spaghetti noodles in salted water according to package directions. Then drain the pasta and use it for this recipe.
- Shred your own mozzarella cheese. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese which often has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting well.
- I typically use 90% lean ground beef - it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy.
