Million Dollar Spaghetti is a cheesy baked pasta layered with tender spaghetti, a creamy cheese filling, savory meat sauce, and plenty of melted mozzarella. This cheesy baked spaghetti is made for sharing and makes an easy, hearty dinner for family or guests.
Round off the meal with a simple green salad and homemade garlic bread.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Flavor: Zesty marinara, savory Italian sausage, and three creamy cheeses give every layer rich, savory flavor.
- Why Make It: It delivers the layered look of an easy homemade lasagna without arranging individual noodles.
- Make Ahead: Assemble this up to a day ahead and keep it refrigerated until ready to bake. It makes dinner easier when feeding family, bringing a dish to a potluck, or serving a crowd.
Cook Time: 1 Hr 25 Mins Servings: 12 Cooking Method: Sauté and Oven
Ingredient Notes
- Spaghetti: Cook the pasta until al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Swap in any medium pasta, like penne, rigatoni, or rotini.
- Italian Sausage: Ground beef or turkey work well too, but season the meat more generously to build the same depth of flavor as Italian sausage.
- Marinara Sauce: Choose a sauce you already enjoy because its flavor carries through the entire casserole. Or try making a homemade marinara sauce instead.
- Cottage Cheese: Cottage cheese makes the center creamy while adding a little structure to the layers. Replace with ricotta for a smoother, more traditional lasagna-style filling.
- Cream Cheese: Let the cream cheese soften to room temperature so it blends smoothly with the other filling ingredients without lumps.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat sour cream for the richest, creamiest texture.
How to Cook Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Cook the pasta, and stir in the marinara sauce.
- In a skillet, sauté the sausage, onions, and garlic.
- In a bowl, prepare the cheese filling (full recipe below).
- In a casserole dish, add the spaghetti, then layer with the cheese mixture and more spaghetti.
- Top with the meat mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and bake.
Save Those Million Dollar Leftovers
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat individual portions in the microwave until heated through, or cover and warm them in a 350°F oven.
More Pasta Casseroles
Did you enjoy this Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Million Dollar Spaghetti
Million dollar spaghetti layers saucy pasta, savory Italian sausage, and a rich cream cheese filling under plenty of melted mozzarella. It's an easy, hearty casserole made to feed a crowd.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 1½ pounds Italian sausage casing removed, or ground beef or turkey*
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 (24 ounce) jars marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce, 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 for 35 to 45 minutes, until the casserole is heated through, adding the mozzarella on top for the last 20 minutes of the cook time.
- Rest for 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 it 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 refrigerator 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.
I loved this recipe! As suggested I paired it with garlic bread and a Ceasar salad! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you loved it Naja!
Made this for the whole family 12/31/18. Was a big hit. Sort of a cross between spaghetti and lasagna. Will definitely make it again!
Glad you loved it Debra!
Love the recipes!!!
Thank you Carolyn!
Hi. I made your spaghetti recipe times twelve and fed 155 people at the homeless mission. Many people raved on and on about it. I’m sure they get spaghetti a lot so that must be saying something. Thanks for the good recipe.
You’re welcome Jill. It warms my heart to hear that you’ve shared this spaghetti with those in need. Thank YOU!
I am not a fan of cream cheese or cottage cheese. But, I have made this with a homemade bechamel and added mozzarella and it was very good. I know, I know – I changed the recipe a little to accommodate my tastes. But it is such a crazy delicious recipe that I wasn’t going to let a little cream/cottage cheeses get in the way.
This was fabulous! I used full fat ricotta. I used a 10×14” pan. It was so delicious and I shared it with friends who want me to make it again already! Having such success, it will be my go-to when I need a baked dish. Absolutely loved it!
So glad you loved it Angela!
This recipe looks amazing! I made a large batch of spaghetti sauce yesterday and have leftovers I would like to use for this recipe. About how much sauce do you think you mixed with the pasta? Thanks in advance!
This recipe calls for a total of 48 oz of pasta sauce, if your sauce has meat in it you might add a bit more! You want to mix until the spaghetti is fairly “saucy” as the pasta will soak up a lot of the sauce as it bakes too.
The recipe is perfect! So yummy! I’m so glad I made 2 batches! Everyone loved it!
So glad to hear everyone loved it Mayra!
So I have a question, before I try this out. Those nutritional facts at the bottom, is that for like one serving or is that for the whole thing? I ask because I was thinking about making this for my meal prep for a weeks lunch or so.
Nutritional facts are for one serving and may vary based on ingredients used.
How many servings in the casserole dish?
There are 12 servings in this dish Linda.
Made it with whole wheat organic spaghetti noodles (only $1.09/lb at Aldi! My favorite buy) That I only boiled for 7 minutes. I also left out the butter completely and topped it with sharp cheddar. I put it in 2 smaller pyrex pans and froze the other one! Around $8 for the entire recipe, and we have one waiting in the freezer for another night.
Linda — why comment on this recipe if you are going to change it completely? It is always nice to see tips and ideas but you plan to change everything except using pasta. Perhaps you have your own site where we could look, if so inclined, for alternative versions.
Wondering if it would be ok to use cheddar cheese and mozzarella only?
I have only tried the recipe as written, but let me know if you try it!
Do you cover this when baking ?
Covering is not necessary, but you can cover if you prefer and take the cover off during the last part of baking. Enjoy, Jen!
Can i cut the recipe in half and use an 8×8?
That should work fine Leslie. Another reader cut the recipe in half and used a spring form pan, and cut it like a pie. She said, “You see all the beautiful layers.” Let us know if you try it!
I have made something similar to this for years but I put it a deep dish pie pan. You can layer it any way you like. Not only is it is delicious it makes for a very pretty presentation.. I always use cottage cheese in the layers and as you said it makes it creamy and delicious. Have tried it several different ways. One delicious way is to add butter, a beaten egg, and shredded parmesan to the drained spaghetti noodles then layer the sauce or the cottage mixture over the noodles. Ending with mozzarella cheese. It really gets better the next day too.
Yummy idea to put this into pie pans, thanks for sharing!
I have made this recipe a few times now and each time it’s a hit! Family loves it and guests loved it! I have had people ask me to make it for them if they buy the ingredients. Which would be fine but I am lucky to have the time to make it for family and guests so I just give them the recipe. 5 star for sure!
It’s great to hear how much your family and friends love this casserole Brenda! Thank you for sharing the recipe with them :)
THIS IS A STAPLE IN OUR HOME ..IT IS A FAVORITE …I HAVE ALWAYS STUCK TO THE RECIPE TO A TEE! I GET ANNOYED BY PEOPLE GIVING A RECIPE BAD REVIEWS BUT THEN WHEN YOU READ WHAT THEY DID THEY AREN’T REALLY REVIEWING THIS RECIPE THEY ARE REVIEWING SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND UNRECOGNIZABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL RECIPE ….LOVE IT AND SO GLAD I TRIED IT !
I’m so glad that you love the casserole recipe Paula! Thanks for stopping by Spend With Pennies :)
I agree with you 100% Paula, Great post !!!
I have also made this recipe just as it states and it is absolutely delicious !!
Thank you for providing us with such wonderful recipes !
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
Fantastic recipe. The best spaghetti recipe I’ve ever eaten. The blends of 3 cheeses, baked in the oven makes a delicious crusty topping. The entire family had plenty with some left over. Makes a very large pan. I used ground beef and only 3 large garlic cloves. This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you June! Glad to hear you love the spaghetti!
This sounds really good, however, all the fat! It says one serving is over 1,000 calories! Yikes! Enough fat and calories for the full day. Of course, with the servings listed as 6, that’s a huge serving and someone commented 10-12 was more realistic. A big salad would fill you up so you didn’t need to eat so much.I see no reason for the butter, and instead would use a cooking spray on the pan. There is no need for the additional butter in the middle, and I would leave out the cream cheese to omit additional fat. Also, substitute whole grain spaghetti noodles; there are whole wheat, quoina, spinach, brown rice noodles that provide some fiber and nutrition rather than white flour noodles. When I was a kid, I made spaghetti for the family a lot, and I added chopped carrots and bell peppers for extra nutrition. Anyway, I’ll try this with my healthier substitutions soon. I love to make dishes that I can eat all week.
This recipe is amazing! I will be making this frequently- hopefully freeze some for those nights when the children have driven me crazy
I didn’t use any butter & instead used non-stick on the bottom of the pan. I think the cream cheese is a TERRIBLE idea – my family hated it, so I had to give away an entire pan of it. Not sure why it calls for cream cheese since this is basically a lazy person’s lasagna & lasagna does NOT call for cream cheese. So, the next time I make it, I’ll just use 1/2 ricotta & 1/2 cottage cheese. I also only used about 3 oz of sour cream, which I don’t think is necessary either. Just layer ricotta/cottage cheese with mozzarella & maybe Parmesan. Voila. I also added mushrooms, spinach & a bell pepper to increase the veggie portions.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this dish, we love the creaminess the cream cheese adds. :)
Then find a recipe for a traditional lasagna, no need to bash this recipe. It boggles my mind when people do that. And, your family hated it…move on and find sonething else.
I so agree Patricia. Just move on. I have not tried this recipe yet. But I’m making it tonight. It sounds amazing. Cream cheese and all.
Delicious. We even ate all the left overs.
So glad you loved it!
This is an awesome twist to the usual spaghetti! I made it for the first time about 6 weeks ago, and have made it 4 times since then! It’s very filling, we always have leftovers…and that’s after my husband, my teenage son, my uncle (all 3 are hard working big eaters), and myself have ate! A definite keeper in my family!
I am so glad this recipe is a hit with your family! I love to make this when the whole family comes over. It is such a great way to fill everyone up with something yummy!