Baked Spaghetti combines classic spaghetti with a bubbly, saucy casserole for a comforting one-pan dish with lots of cheese. Make it ahead, bake when you’re ready, and enjoy clean slices plus great leftovers all week.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Rich, comforting, and full of tomato flavor, savory meat, and Italian herbs. Topped with melty, golden cheese that makes every bite irresistible.
- Why Make It: One easy bake turns everyday spaghetti into a sliceable casserole that serves 8 and reheats perfectly for quick, satisfying lunches all week long.
- Recommended Tools: All you need is a large pot, a skillet, a 9×13-inch dish, and a colander.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with garlic bread and a Caesar salad for an easy, cozy meal.
Ingredients Notes
- Spaghetti: Use spaghetti noodles for a classic dish or swap them for any long pasta or whole wheat spaghetti you have on hand.
- Meat: Use ground beef, Italian sausage, or a combination of the two. For a leaner option, ground turkey or turkey sausage can be used. Remember to drain the meat well, or the sauce will be watery.
- Sauce: Use your favorite pasta sauce or a homemade marinara, and add diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning for extra flavor. Simmer the sauce until it thickens. It should be thick, not soupy.
- Cheese: Mozzarella melts the best and is wonderfully gooey. Preshredded can be used, but it has an anticaking agent, which means it doesn’t melt as well.
How To Make Baked Spaghetti
- Cook spaghetti until al dente and drain (full recipe below).
- Brown the meat with onion, garlic, seasoning, and bell pepper.
- Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer until thickened.
- Combine with the spaghetti and spread into a casserole dish.
- Top with mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake until hot and bubbly.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm small portions in the microwave, or for the best texture, cover and bake in the oven at 350°F until hot throughout. Add a splash of marinara if it looks dry.
Freezing Instructions:
- Freeze unbaked: Assemble in a freezer-safe dish, cover well, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake 35–40 minutes, adding cheese after 20 minutes for a melty, golden top.
- Freeze after baking: Cool completely, portion, wrap with foil, then tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months for the best texture.
Cozy Pasta Night Favorites
Did you love this Baked Spaghetti? Leave a rating and comment 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
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.
Easy and tasted great….. I was told that I could make this again
Easy and delicious
I love this recipe, it turns out perfect every time and I always get a request for the recipe. I refer them to the Spend With Pennies website as I find many great recipes there
Five stars for sure it was very good made it last night and will my favorite go to recipe I have a small amount left over but not much. Will double this next time.
DELICIOUS and EASY! Only adjustment I made was to do 50/50 ground beef and italian sausage (rather than all beef). Turned out so tasty. My husband gave it rave reviews!
making this tonight and I don’t have a 9×13 pan apparently. would I have to adjust much with an 8×11.5 pan?
It should work just fine in an 8×11.5 pan, you may just want to double check that it’s hot in the middle before removing from the oven and add a few minutes if needed.
SUCH a great recipe, thank you very much!
Leftovers are a breeze to vacuum seal (after chilled) and toss in the freezer for quick meals at a later date.
Jenny,
Thanks for the great idea to vacuum seal! I never would have thought of doing that. There are only two of us, so that’s a big help.
Just tried it tonight, it was delicious. I wouldn’t change anything to this recipe. It is definitely a keeper for our family. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
My go-to. My kids love it and it’s so easy to make ahead and freeze.
I followed your recipe exactly and although it was good, it did not need anywhere near all that spaghetti, 10 to 12 oz. would have worked much better. It also did not need an entire jar of sauce. It turned out soupy. Even after I let it sit for 20 minutes after baking. I am not a huge fan of diced tomatoes, but they do need to be drained as well.
Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected, Kreg!
Absolutely delicious! No more stove spaghetti for me! Thanks a ton!
Penny, I’m getting ready to make this baked spaghetti recipe. Should I drain the juice off the diced tomatoes before adding them?
Thanks,
Ruth
Hi Ruth, you do not have to drain the liquid from the diced tomatoes. Enjoy!
This will not be the last time this dish is made. Moved up to the top of my favorites. The ease of making to the taste.
Throw a salad and garlic bread in – dinner is served. Thank you.
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!
Absolutely Amazing! my roommate asks me to make this often. I add a little less spagett as we like it saucy . Thank you for the delicious recipe Holly!
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!