Baked Spaghetti is the ultimate comfort food with a hearty meat sauce and loads of gooey melted cheese baked until bubbly and golden! It’s an easy make-ahead favorite that tastes even better with a big slice of garlic bread on the side.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Baked Spaghetti
Flavor: Every bite is rich, savory, and cheesy with zesty tomato sauce, tender pasta, and plenty of cozy Italian-inspired flavor.
Recommended Tools: A large pot, skillet, and a 9×13-inch baking dish are all that’s needed to make this family favorite.
Serving Suggestions: I love serving baked spaghetti with warm garlic bread for soaking up every bit of sauce and a simple crisp green salad on the side to round out the meal.
Freezing: Baked spaghetti is perfect for making ahead just assemble it before baking and freeze for an easy meal that’s ready whenever needed.
Total Time: 55 Minutes Serves: 8 Cooking Method: Baked
Ingredient Notes
- Spaghetti: Use spaghetti noodles for a classic dish or swap them for any long pasta.
- Meat: Lean ground beef is classic and hearty. For extra flavor swap it for Italian sausage or use a delicious 50/50 blend of both.
- Veggies: Green bell pepper adds savory flavor and a bit of texture to the sauce. Red bell pepper, mushrooms, or zucchini can easily be swapped in for a different twist.
- Pasta Sauce: Pasta sauce or marinara does most of the heavy lifting here, so use one you really enjoy.
- Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes add extra texture and keep the casserole nice and saucy. Be sure not to drain them since the juices help coat the pasta and bring everything together.
- Cheese: For the best gooey melt, shred mozzarella from a block instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Swap the mozzarella for provolone or Monterey Jack.
- Variations: For a meatless version, skip the beef and add extra vegetables. For a creamier twist, spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese or cottage cheese over the pasta before topping with mozzarella.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti
- Cook the spaghetti (full recipe below).
- Brown the beef or sausage with the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and salt.
- Stir in the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, and Italian seasoning, then simmer.
- Toss the cooked spaghetti and parsley with the sauce.
- Spread it in a greased baking dish, top with mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake.
Bake it uncovered! If the cheese gets too brown before the center is hot, loosely tent it with foil near the end.
Spread a thin layer of ricotta or cottage cheese directly over the saucy pasta before adding the final mozzarella topping.
Yes. Assemble the casserole completely, cover it tightly, and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. (Add a few extra minutes to the bake time since it’s starting from cold!)
Storing Baked Spaghetti
- Next Day Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing Leftovers: Portion cooled baked spaghetti into airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months for the best quality.
- Freezing Before Baking: Assemble the casserole without the cheese and without the final bake, then cover tightly, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes, adding the cheese after about 20 minutes.
- Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave until hot. For larger portions, cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Cozy Pasta Bakes
Did you enjoy this Baked Spaghetti Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Sauce
- 1 pound lean ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 32 ounces pasta sauce or marinara sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
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 ground beef, green pepper, onion, garlic, and salt while breaking up the meat. Drain fat if needed.
- Stir in the pasta sauce, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. 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
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.
I found this recipe a few years ago. It’s easy and delicious and this will be my 3rd time making it as we’re not superfans of most of the jar pasta sauces because of the acid. A friend told me to add just a pinch of baking soda to the sauce and IT WORKS! I make 1/2 the recipe using a sweet Italian sausage (bulk) and ricotta in a buttered casserole for the 2 of us. It’s very adaptable to whatever you need to substitute if necessary and the Grands love it as well.
This sounds delicious. How long do you cook the pasta before you bake it? Do I just cook it al dented? Is the pasta mushy?
Yes, I cook the pasta al dente. And I do not find it gets mushy! Enjoy Amanda!
I made this last night and it is delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Can’t wait to make this recipe! If giving to a friend who just had a baby – what would the directions be for cooking from frozen? And would you recommend still baking before dropping off?
Hi Liz, I would freeze uncooked then when you’re ready to eat it, just thaw completely and bake in the oven for the same time/temp.
I like the option to add anything. My anything was frozen meatballs (thawed and simmered in sauce) and frozen peas. It was yummy.
Oooo, delicious Lucy!
Lacked flavor.
This is a fine base recipe. However, it needs at least three chopped garlic cloves. Additionally, for more flavor, saute the onions and meat in butter.
Hi! This recipe looks delicious! I am making tomorrow.
How much dry spaghetti in the package do I buy to equal 16oz cooked?
Thank you!
Sorry for the confusion Liz, you will need 16 oz of dry spaghetti and then cook it. Enjoy the recipe!
Thank you so much! I don’t know why that confused me! I went back and read the ingredients again after your reply and was shaking my head at myself! Haha
The dish was wonderful! I love your recipes! Thanks for sharing them with us!
delicious
I doubled this recipe for a group beach trip (left out green pepper just b/c i do not care for it) – made one recipe with ground beef and the other with mild italian sausage – it was an absolute hit! Everyone snarfed it down and many had seconds….HOWEVER, I doubled everything but the pasta noodles – double noodles would have been way too much pasta IMHO.
thank you for the recipe, it’ll be my new go to for baked spaghetti.
Do you need to use eggs to bind the spaghetti?
Hi Julie, yes eggs can be used to help bind the spaghetti but we don’t find that necessary in this recipe. Enjoy!
You mentioned you use the eggs to help bind the spaghetti together, but eggs are not listed in the ingredients or instructions. When am I using the egg/eggs?
Sorry for the confusion Jessica, you can add eggs but we don’t find it necessary in this recipe. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I plan on making this Tuesday. But doing a triple meat of beef-veal-bison. I am giving this 5 stars now because from exploring my saved Pinterest recipes i have used a lot of your recipe and flavor profiles and know this will be as great as all the others. I am going to make this the day before because spaghetti or chili always taste better the next day . Thank you for your beautiful creations.
Thank you for your kind words Devon, this made my day! I can’t wait for you to try this baked spaghetti recipe!
Am I able to pre cook this all and then stick it in the oven a different night? If I do that what would suggest for the baking time? Thank you!
If you prep it ahead of time and refrigerate, it’ll take a bit longer. Remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking and bake about 35 minutes or until hot in the centre. Enjoy Megan!
Holly, this is great! I noticed someone commented it makes a lot and I agree, even though I made a half recipe but keeping the whole green pepper instead of halving it. It generously filled an 8 x 12 pan. I’m guessing the servings will be generous (it’s in the oven now). I used vegetarian ground beef substitute which doesn’t need pre-cooking and added extra garlic and some fennel that was ground slightly with mortar & pestle. I used to make my own Italian sausage before becoming vegetarian and I’m trying to get a similar flavor with the veg ground beef. I have a digestive condition called gastroparesis, and the veg meat substitutes go over with my stomach better than the fattier real thing.
You have some of the best recipes! I’ve made several of them and they’ve all been easy and delicious. When I search for a type of food, your recipe is almost always the best sounding and closest to what I’m looking for. Thanks for your efforts!
Thank you so much Essie, I’m glad you’ve loved them!
Love this baked spaghetti!! We shared it with friends and they enjoyed it as well. Thank you.
This is my third time making this recipe. Always delicious!! I added pepperoni slices for a little zing!
This was amazing!! I made it as directed. I used 93%lean ground beef. I also added a can of mushrooms as I do in my regular spaghetti. It was so good!!!i cannot wait to make this again!!
It’s nice to have a little change now and then and this was worth trying for sure! I will definitely make this again when our kids come over.
I left out the garlic, onion and green pepper (dietary issues) and substituted 1 small bunch green onions. Also, I used oregano, marjoram, thyme and sprinkling of cinnamon for the “Italian Seasoning”. Lastly, I used mozzarella and for a kick used a blend of parmesan, romano & asiago.
It turned out fabulously! I used some angel hair pasta however, I need to use gluten-free next time, again due to dietary issues.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome Jo! Thank you for sharing!
Do the diced tomatoes cook down? Don’t want my husband discovering them
You may want to try crushing the tomatoes, the chunks remain in tact in the end. Good luck ;)