Baked Spaghetti is a favorite casserole around here!
Spaghetti is mixed with a quick zesty meat sauce, topped with cheese and baked in the oven until hot and bubbly for a family favorite meal.
Your Family Will Request This on Repeat Because…
- It’s cozy, comforting, and absolutely delicious.
- Tried and true – the reviews speak for themselves.
- Baked spaghetti is easy to make, and you can add veggies you have on hand.
- It’s an inexpensive way to stretch a pound of meat to feed a crowd.
- This recipe freezes and reheats well.
Ingredients for Baked Spaghetti
- Meat: Use ground beef, Italian sausage, or a combination of the two. For a leaner option, ground turkey or turkey sausage can be used.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic & green pepper add flavor to the sauce.
- Sauce: Use your favorite brand of pasta sauce or marinara sauce and add in diced tomatoes and Italian Seasoning for extra flavor
- Pasta: Since this is a baked spaghetti recipe, I used spaghetti noodles, but you can swap it for any long pasta or whole wheat spaghetti.
- Cheese: A mix of mozzarella and parmesan add a delicious topping. Pre-shredded cheese works just fine in this recipe.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti
- Brown beef and onions. Add veggies and tomato sauce and simmer.
- Toss the sauce with cooked spaghetti and transfer it to a baking dish.
- Top with cheese and bake.
Holly’s Tips
Baked spaghetti is perfect for lasagna lovers looking for a quicker option.
- Ensure the spaghetti is cooked al dente as the noodles cook a bit more in the oven.
- Add extra veggies to the sauce. Try sliced mushrooms, shredded zucchini or carrots.
- You can adjust this to your liking and add more or less sauce if you’d prefer.
Feeling Fancy? Garnish this recipe with fresh herbs like basil or parsley before serving.
How to Prep Ahead
- Prepare as directed and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until hot in the center.
- Bake the casserole uncovered so the cheese can form a nice crust. Covering it will also make it steam, which can overcook the spaghetti.
Just like stuffed shells, this easy recipe is perfectly served with garlic bread and a Caesar salad.
More Pasta Casseroles We Love
Did you make this Baked Spaghetti? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Baked Spaghetti
This baked spaghetti casserole is a family favorite and super easy to make!
Equipment
Skillet
9 x 13-inch Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese about 6oz
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Sauce
- 1 pound lean ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 32 ounces pasta sauce or marinara sauce
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
-
In a large pot of salted water, cook the spaghetti al dente according to package directions.
-
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat, onion, garlic, seasoning, and green pepper while breaking up the meat. Drain fat if needed.
-
Stir in the pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cooked spaghetti and parsley.
-
Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish, top with cheeses, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and the cheese is browned and bubbly. Cut into squares to serve.
Video
Notes
If preparing ahead of time, increase the baking time
This casserole can be covered with foil and frozen (before baking). Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, adding the cheese after 20 minutes.
Leftovers can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave until heated through.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 413 | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 1054mg | Potassium: 864mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Pasta
Cuisine American, Italian
© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Fantastic recipe. I added grated cheddar, 2 peppers one red one yellow, Spanish onion, club house Italian seasoning,3 tablespoons to the sauce. This is so tasty. Thank you.
Ive made this recipe in the past a few times always comes out good and delicious every time… my little one wanted spaghetti for dinner tonight… I used angel hair pasta and then I ground up a pound of ground meat and then once drained I let it simmer on the stove for about a good half hour with tomato sauce and hunts’ meat flavored pasta sauce and seasoned that good with italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder…once pasta was all done n drained I added the meat sauce mixture with the remainder half can of the Hunts’ meat flavor sauce and another full can of hunts’ traditional pasta sauce to the angel hair pasta… once it was all mixed together really well I took half of that and put it into my 13×9 baking dish and topped it with parm. cheese.. then added the rest of the spaghetti on top of that and I evened it all out and I will top it off with sargentos shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese mixture and parm. cheese before I pop it in the oven… it was funny cause after I made the spaghetti up I was thinking its kinda too plain what else can I do and then it dawned on me oh yeah i’ve made baked spaghetti in the past but had to look the recipe up cause I forgot for how long to bake it for hahahaha…. thank you for sharing your recipe :^) have a blessed day