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.
More Must-Try Casseroles
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!