Million-dollar spaghetti is a creamy, cheesy, budget-friendly casserole that's so easy to make.
This crowd-pleasing dish is made with layers of spaghetti and cheese that is smothered in a hearty meat sauce and baked until browned and bubbly.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Spaghetti is tossed in a savory meat sauce and topped with a creamy cheesy sauce for a hearty meal! While the ingredients are simple, this meal is delicious.
- Skill Level: This easy, beginner-friendly recipe is an easy way to feed the family!
- Serving: Million Dollar Spaghetti is a combination of baked spaghetti and lasagna and pairs well with all the classic sides: garlic bread, Caesar salad, easy arugula salad, and more!
- Freezing: This hearty casserole reheats and freezes well for future meals!
Ingredient Tips for Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Meat: I like using Italian sausage as it has lots of flavor, but in a pinch, you can substitute ground beef or ground turkey. If substituting the sausage, I would recommend adding extra seasoning to the sauce.
- Sauce: This recipe uses pasta sauce as the base to keep it quick and easy. You can use homemade marinara sauce or your favorite jar of sauce. Feel free to stir in fresh herbs!
- Cheese: The cheese layer is made with either cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. I prefer cottage cheese because I think it adds so much creaminess to the recipe.
- Pasta: Cook the pasta al dente so it holds up during baking. While I prefer to make this with spaghetti, other types of pasta work well too. Try ziti or rigatoni noodles.
Storing, Reheating, & Planning Ahead
The leftovers of this casserole reheat well! The pasta softens up a bit when reheating, but the flavor is just as good as when it was fresh out of the oven.
- Prep Ahead: This spaghetti can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. Remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking and add 15 minutes to the baking time.
- Freezing: To freeze the casserole, wrap it in plastic wrap first, then aluminum foil. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
More Favorite Spaghetti Recipes
Did you enjoy this Million Dollar Spaghetti? Leave us a rating and comment below!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage casing removed, or ground beef or turkey
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 48 ounces marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce, 2 jars, divided
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
- 8 ounces cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- chopped fresh parsley and parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain well and return the pasta to the original pot. Add 24 oz of prepared spaghetti sauce and toss to combine. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, combine Italian sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook until no pink remains and the onion is soft. Drain excess fat. Stir in the remaining 24 oz of spaghetti sauce and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, blend cottage cheese (or ricotta), cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning using a hand mixer. Set aside.
- Spread half of the spaghetti in the prepared baking dish, then top with the cottage cheese mixture. Spread the remaining spaghetti over the cheese mixture. Pour the meat sauce evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered 35-45 minutes, until the casserole is heated through, adding the mozzarella on top for the last 20 minutes of cook time.
- Rest 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
If replacing the sausage for ground beef or turkey, add additional seasoning to the sauce. For a little kick, add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
This casserole can be prepared 24 hours in advance. If made ahead of time, let set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking. Add 15 minutes to the baking time.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 583 | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 826mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 209mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner, Pasta
Cuisine American© 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.
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I made this once following the recipe as is and it was excellent, better than lasagna. I am making it again today can’t wait !!!!!!!!!
I made this tonight and my whole family loved it! I used ricotta cheese not a cottage cheese fan but oh my it was delish, thanks for sharing will definitely make it again.
Loved it
It was great family loved it i even snuck in mushrooms and onions
This was a huge hit and the dish is so filling!!!
I made this a couple of weeks ago and this dish is amazing!!! I’ve gotten so many compliments on this dish, my co-workers and friends were asking me to bring them a plate :) Will be making this again!
Awesome to hear it has been such a success!
Made for tonight looms and smells awesome! Can’t wait to eat! We added mushrooms and black olives!
Those sound like delicious additions! I hope your family loved the recipe!
Love this! I made it with macaroni noodles and used an Italian cheese blend with the mozzarella and used four cups. The next time, I will probably add a bit more seasoning and a bit of sugar. Thanks so much for the great recipe.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe!
This recpie look amazing !!! I like to make it but i dont eat meat at all, can i make it without the all part of the meat ?
I have only made this recipe as written. If you decide to try it without meat, let me know how it turns out.
Hi. My family despises both ricotta & cottage cheese is there anything that can be substituted, like maybe cream cheese? Thanks!
I have made the recipe as written, however if you decide to try a substitution let me know how it turns out.
Loved the recipe and was excited to add my our touches. As I like to sneak veggies in everything!
To the meat I added crushed red pepper and a small amount of leftover broccoli finely chopped
To the cheese I added pepper, more crushed red pepper, finely chopped spinach, and used pepper jack cheese
To the spaghetti I buttered, salt, peppered and yes added more crushed red pepper before adding the sauce
Topped with mazzerela, pepper jack and cheddar. It was amazing and didn’t need to any sides since the veggies were already added! Froze leftovers for an easy grab and go lunch. Thank you so much for a beautiful start!
Your additions sound yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Gina,
Just found this recipe, saw your comment, and wanted to recommend you try making a white sauce to replace the ricotta & cottage cheese. Just melt 3 Tbsp. butter, add 3 Tbsp. flour, and stir to combine. Then just add 1 cup milk and stir till thickened. It should do the trick for you.
Thank you so much for the recipe! This is now my go to recipe for gatherings and meal trains. I’m taking it today to a friend whose hubby just had surgery. The casserole, salad, bread and a nice red will comfort everyone!
Hi Sandy,
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Do I need to cover with foil and bake or no ?
You can cover with foil and uncover during the last few moments in the oven!
Will try thus abb more good recipes fast and easy I have a large family need help
Looks fantastic. I think I gained 5 lbs. just looking at the pictures.
Haha thanks!
This was so delicious! I made it exactly as the recipe stated and my whole family loved it, even my picky husband. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad your family loved this recipe!
My husband and I really liked this recipe, reminiscent of baked ziti. My first recommendation is use something bigger (and deeper) than a 9 x 13 Pyrex plate. I had to bake this on top of a pan because I knew it would bubble over. My own tweaks were that I used a jarred sauce that had mushrooms in it, only used about 3 tbs. of butter in the bottom of the pan and omitted the rest of the butter since this is pretty rich already. I did not have sour cream so I simply thinned the cheese mixture with a little half and half. In addition to the mozzarella, I also added a small amount of grated parmesan to the cheese mixture and to the top. This would be a great dish to make for company with a good salad, good loaf of Italian bread or garlic bread and a good red wine. This will be a keeper.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Sounds great! The spaghetti pie I’ve made in the past called for eggs to hold the noodles together. So the noodles hold its form when cutting without the eggs?
Thank you
Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole…made it today….used half Italian sausage and half ground beef, and used cottage cheese. It was loved by all of us. Served green salad and French bread..yummm. It is definitely a keeper, will make it again!
So glad you loved it! It is one of my favorites as well.
Making this tonight. I had to improvise and add extra sour cream and mozzarella cheese because my ricotta cheese had expired. I pray it turns out right !
That sounds like a delicious substitute!
I made this I did a few changes 1/2 ground turkey half Italian sausage. I also added crushed red peppers to my meat along with the Italian seasoning. Finally for an extra cheesy topping I mixed t mozzerlla and mild cheddar. My family loved it.
Hello! This was delish!! Absolutely loved it but it made 2 13×9 casserole dishes, not one. I am going to half the recipe next time. I cook for 2 and had way more than 6 servings and I stuck to the recipe exactly.
I am so glad you liked the recipe, Jenny.