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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Amazing recipe! Thank you so much!
Wow!!! This dish is amazing! Only thing I changed is I decreased the Italian seasoning to 1 1/2 tsp. as I find it is a rather strong spice for me and my family.
Truly is the ‘best spaghetti pie’ recipe I have found. Thanks!
So glad you loved it Robin!
I made this today. It is yummy! I forgot to pick up the cream cheese so I doubled the ricotta (cottage cheese is too thin and watery). I halved the recipe since it’s just me and the hubster at home these days.
One question – Nowhere in the recipe does it state to mix together the pasta and the sausage. So I did since that’s what the photo appears to show. I drove myself crazy looking for what to do with the sausage thinking I surely missed it when reading the recipe.
Also, we only use Mezzetta pasta sauces. No sugar all natural ingredients and really taste homemade. They have several varieties including a spicy one.
In step #2 a jar of sauce is added to the spaghetti. In step #5 the meat sauce is poured overtop of all. I’m sure mixing it would be just fine too though!
A spicy sauce would be great in this recipe.
I’m gong to make this for my baby shower in 3wks. I would like to make it the day before. What is the make ahead recipe? How long should I bake it after its been refrigerated?
In the written information, it says Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. Ensure you cover & refrigerate the pan. Once baked, allow the casserole sit out and cool for a good 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy, Kayla!
So Do I fully cook it then refridgerate it? How long should I bake it again after refrigeration?
You can make this ahead of time if you’d like. I would suggest leaving it at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking and then cook as directed in the recipe.
Looks like my post was deleted. To make ahead do I cook it entirely? How long should I bake it after refridgerating? I’m thinking the noodles will be mushy if i overcook it.
Your comment is above, you can make this ahead of time if you’d like. The noodles do come out perfectly, you’ll want to cook them al dente when you boil them.
I used half ground beef/half sausage and added shredded veggies (carrots, red bell pepper, garlic, mushrooms, onion, zucchini, summer squash) to the meat sauce.
I had family over for dinner and my daughter (she’s 7) as well as my mom (she’s 67) both declared this was their favorite meal from now on. :)
Terrible amount of calories – definitely an indulgence – but worth it! So good!!
So glad you enjoyed it Margie! I have only tried the recipe as written, but your additions sound delicious. It is my favorite too!
What a great idea. I was thinking about what I could use, gluten free spaghetti, lactose free dairy products, but how to replace the sausage was hurting my brain. Thanks for posting!
Have you tried this recipe with half ricotta and have cottage cheese?
I have – it turns out great.
I’m wondering what temp to heat the oven. Sounds delicious and I look forward to trying it. Thanks!
350 degrees.
Great recipe!!! Always a pleaser and easy to make.
Overall, this was good. If I make it again I would cut the butter in half, at least. Also, I added mushrooms to the spaghetti and sauce and black olives to the sausage and sauce. The other thing I might do is cut the cream cheese down and increase the cottage cheese. It all just was a little too rich for me.
Very tasty meal, the only thing I would do different was not fully cook the spaghetti, to prevent the casserole from being to mushy. Served this with a tossed salad. Froze the left overs for a second meal.
Great recipe! I have made it several times. Makes a lot. Feeds six plus.
I am so glad you have enjoyed this recipe!
Delish!
I have made this meal once. It was SO GOOD. Very rich and savory. We ate it for leftovers for a few days also and it was super delicious each time. I am planning to make it again this evening. Its one of my favorite meals now!
Good recipe. A few tweaks according to my taste. Instead of all mozzarella I used half mozzarella and half cheddar. Also added salt, pepper, and creole seasoning to both the spaghetti and meat mixtures. Came out very good.
Very tasty! My family loved it! There were four of us, and we didn’t even eat half the first night, so I would say it feeds 8 or more people, easily. Looking forward to the leftovers!
I am so glad your family enjoyed the recipe! I hope it was as good on the second night!
My team mate made this for our pot luck and it was such a hit! She made it in the crock pot! She sprayed the crock pot with pam then followed the recipe. She plugged it in at the office and by lunch it was perfectly cooked and so yummy.
I’m making it tonight
This should be renamed BILLION dollar spaghetti!!!!! It made waaaaay more than 6 servings so I had to give away lots of it…everyone that I shared it with said it was AWESOME. I followed the recipe exactly, I may use spicy sausage next time or add red pepper flakes just as matter of personal preference. I recommend using a deep dish casserole dish, a normal baking dish might be to shallow.
I am so glad you liked this recipe! It is perfect for feeding a hungry crowd!
Made this for a company party ,everyone loved it. Will be handing out the recipe. Thank you it was a huge hit.
Do I cover with foil while baking?
I would love to make this for a potluck. Can this be done in the crockpot to stay warm until lunch?
I haven’t tried it in the slow cooker but I’m sure it would work! Please let us know how it turns out for you!