Baked Spaghetti is a favorite casserole around here!
In this cozy dish, spaghetti is tossed with a zesty meat sauce, topped with cheese and oven-baked until hot and bubbly.
This recipe reheats well and is freezer friendly.
Easy Baked Spaghetti
This easy baked spaghetti casserole is a family favorite that is loaded with flavor!
Ingredients for Baked Spaghetti
- Meat: Choose either ground beef or Italian sausage or a combination of the two. For a leaner option, ground turkey is a great option.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic & green pepper add lots of flavor to this baked spaghetti recipe.
- Sauce: Use your favorite brand of pasta sauce or marinara sauce and add in diced tomatoes and Italian Seasoning for extra flavor
- Spaghetti: Replace the spaghetti noodles with any long pasta or whole wheat spaghetti.
- Cheese: The crowning glory. A mix of mozzarella and parmesan brings that gooey, golden finish we all adore.
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
- Esure the spaghetti is cooked al dente as the noodles cook a bit more in the oven.
- Add whatever you like to the sauce, replace green pepper with diced mushrooms or zucchini.
- You can easily adjust this to your liking and add more or less sauce if you’d prefer.
Prep Ahead
- Since the pasta and the sauce are warm when making this dish, bake it for about 25 minutes.
- If you prep it ahead of time and refrigerate it, it’ll take a bit longer. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before baking and bake for about 35 minutes or until hot in the center.
- The prep can be done the night before and then baked before serving, making this baked spaghetti the perfect potluck dish!
- Don’t cover the baked spaghetti 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.
Easy Weeknight Casseroles
Did you make this Baked Spaghetti? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Baked Spaghetti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry spaghetti
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup fresh parmesan cheese shredded
Sauce
- 1 pound 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 pepper diced
- 32 ounces pasta sauce
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large pot of salted water, cook the spaghetti al dente according to package directions.
- In a large skillet over medium 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 to the meat. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cooked spaghetti and parsley.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9×13 pan, 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
Nutrition Information
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.
Hi, I went by recipe and mine was a little dry. Is there anything that I might add to be a bit more juicy? Thanks much. Peggy
Hi Peggy, you can add a little extra pasta sauce or try a splash of broth to help add some additional moisture to this recipe.
This dish was so good and so easy to make. I will definitely be making it again. Thank you.
DO YOU HAVE A BAKED SPAGETTI RECIPE THAT YOU CAN ADD RICCOTA CHEESE TO. I HAVE SEEN IT IN RESTAURANTS AND IT IS VERY GOOD.
We have this delicious baked spaghetti pie that has ricotta in it!
I’m not usually a fan of baked spaghetti, but my family is.. so I’ve tried several recipes for it and I must say this one is the best!! It was still saucy when it was done and the flavors worked together really well! I made it as written with Italian Sausage- but it seems versatile enough to make changes for family preferences (for example if you don’t like green pepper you could sub mushrooms–or really anything) This will be my go-to baked spaghetti going forward! YUM
I definitely agree, Rachael! This recipe is very versatile and still turns out delicious.
Feel in love with the picture! Made it tonight, with penne pasta, extra hamburger, only fiesta cheese. OMG it was so good! paid with a house salad and Moto City Frozen cheese bread. Wish I could send the picture, my family raved about it!
I’m so glad you loved it! If you have Instagram you can tag us at @spendpennies so we can see your yummy version!
So good!! I didn’t have exactly the right amount of spaghetti sauce (only 24oz), used ground turkey, whole wheat spaghetti, only had a can of crushed tomatoes, and no green pepper or parsley. Still turned out DELICIOUS. Whole family loved it, even me. I’m usually hyper critical of my own cooking, but this is a great recipe – the method is spot on, easy to customize or omit per your tastes.
My man friend is very picky but he wants me to make this dish every week! It’s very good! I used Italian sausage so I don’t need a lot of extra seasoning and I did not add any salt. Delicious!