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.
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!