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.
it was easy and delicious! I put zucchini instead of peppers
Has anyone tried adding cheese to the mix, other than just on top?
Would marinara sauce be too thin for this recipe?
Other readers have used a marinara sauce in this recipe with good results. I would love to hear how it turns out for you.
So easy to make and freezes well. My family loves it!
Hi Holly, I made this last night.Next time I will add the peppers. I didn’t have enough spaghetti so used fusilli. The noodles weren’t firm enough for my liking maybe I over cooked them.
Just curious if anyone knows, it browned on top, almost crispy, but why didn’t it bubble and stay soft.
Hi Linda, you can add a little extra pasta sauce or try a splash of broth to help add some additional moisture to this recipe.
How tall/deep should the pan be?
Mine is about 2 inches tall.
I added chunks of black licorice, and it was delicious.
No oven temp added
It’s in step 1.
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
If I wanted to make a version of this without meat in it, should I alter the baking time? Making the OG too for a fundraiser but we have some people with Alpha Gal so trying to make it work for them.
Hi Christel, the meat is pre cooked before added to the casserole so it shouldn’t adjust the cooking time to leave it out.
I’m so looking forward to cook this for my sons birthday. if I prepared it a day ahead do I still cook the past and meat.
Hi Bg, we assemble this entirely (up to the last step) and then refrigerate until ready to bake. Then 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. Make sure you bake the casserole uncovered so the cheese can form a nice crust. Covering it will also make it steam, which can overcook the spaghetti.
Was wondering how many servings are you able to get out of the recipe?
This recipe makes 8 – 2 cup servings
Delicious! We added some onion and cottage cheese for a protein boost.
Question: Would this recipe work with regular frozen hashbrowns?
Hi Alison, I have only tried this recipe as written but would love to hear how it turns out for you.
I made a take on this tonight and it is a lot better than I expected! I tried to clean out what I had and it worked out well. Iused goat cheese instead of mozzarella and added red pepper flakes and Greek kalamata olives. I also added a cup of bone broth in the bake and fresh tomatoes in addition to the pasta sauce. Thank you!
We loved it. As Julia Child always said, we will be adding it to our ‘repertoire…’
very good, I made 4 large pans for our senior centers lunch with garlic toast. 1 gluten free one
Hi. how many guest did you have?
quick, easy, and tasty!
This was great! Everyone ate seconds. I added a couple of tablespoons of red wine, a couple if tablespoons of sugar, and about 1/4 cup butter, but it probably didn’t change it much. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Sugar is a must in marinara sauce!!
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