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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Excellence
Why thank you Josip!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I absolutely LOVE this it. I’m always making this for family and friends. Have you ever baked this recipe in a foil pan?
Hi Sasha, I have not but I would imagine it would turn out fine. If using a foil pan make sure to put it on a sheet pan when baking to properly conduct heat and make it easier to handle.
Is there something I can replace the cream cheese with, or can I just leave it out all together
thanks
Kelly
Hi Kelly, we have only made this recipe as listed, but other readers have replaced the cream cheese with ricotta cheese with success. Let us know how it turns out!
Has anyone used Thin Spaghetti noodles in this dish yet?
I do not use thin spaghetti noodles because they get too mushy, I have used fettuccine, ragatta (the best) and reg. Spaghetti.
Great suggestion Catherine, those would be delicious noodles to use.
Loved the spagetthi casserole dish!
So happy you loved it Sandi!
Love the latest & greatest
Thanks Shelly!
My family loves the Million Dollar Spaghetti
It is by far the most requested meal EVERY week
That is awesome Traci! So happy to hear that.
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe! I used rigatoni instead of spaghetti just to soak up more sauce. I have been making it for a few years now and thought it was finally time to say thank you!
So glad to hear this is a family staple for you Tiffany! We love this recipe too! Great idea with the rigatoni!
Made this recipe last weekend and finished it up last night. There’s only the two of us so I shared with our neighbors. The left overs tasted even better than the first serving! It is the best baked pasta recipe I have found. Yes – it’s heavy to lift but lighter to eat than most lasagna type recipes. Will certainly make again!
Glad you all enjoyed it Mardi!
I made this dish. However, I screwed up and only used 1 jar of sauce and poured it over top of the whole dish. Boy! Did I think it was going to be a failure. Was I ever wrong. This was DELICIOUS! I used pureed tomatoes, 1 jar of sauce, 4 links of Turkey Italian sausage -2 hot and 2 sweet. I also sauteed fresh spinach and finely chopped zuchinni. I added a can of whole black olives on top of the second layer of spaghetti, then the meat sauce and cheese. This combination is just totally addictive. I also used 1/2 cottage cheese and 1/2 ricotta cheese. Next time I will use less pasta, and more veggies. Or totally take out the meat. I took it to work for my coworkes to enjoy. It was a hit.
THANK YOU for a wonderful and delicious recipe!
You’re welcome Danielle! We are happy it worked out for you!
NEED RECIPE FOR MILLION DOLLAR SPAGHETTI
Hi Nellie, if you scroll towards the bottom you will find the recipe!
My entire family loved it! My 4 year old asked me to make this in place of spaghetti and lasagna for the rest of our lives! And she’s the picky eater.
I am so glad this casserole was well received with your family Jennifer!
I’ve been making this recipe for the last year for my family and they love it. This time I tried it on a large scale for our Food Bank Volunteers today. It was a huge hit! Thank you!
I use both beef and sausage and I do my sauce the day before in a crock pot.
I am so glad everyone loved it Lori! It’s one of our favorites too. Those sound like great additions!
I love the idea of all the different cheeses and butter in this recipe. That is what sets it aside from other original pasta casseroles or dishes. My friend recommended this recipe to me. I will say that my 13 by 9 pan was a little small for this dish. But no complaints here. I will just use a bigger pan next time. It seems like every other recipe that I make I have to at least double the ingredients. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed the spaghetti casserole Janelle!
Family favorite! Today is my sons 12th Birthday and I had asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he blurted out, “million dollar spaghetti!”- :-)
I am so glad your family enjoys this recipe Jaclyn! Happy Birthday to your son!
A family favorite!
I am so glad your family has enjoyed this recipe Jaclyn!
Very tasty recipe. If you have the time, it’s even better if you make your own sauce (e.g. crushed/diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, cook the beef/pork in it, let it simmer for awhile).
Great suggestion Richard, so glad you loved it!
Hi, Can I replace the sausage with ground beef?
I think that will work just fine Hillary!
Alright, pressure is on, I am making this tonight for a covered dish supper! Looking forward to bringing a dish that disappears! I shall update you on the gamble of bringing a new dish!
Hope everyone loved it Steph!
Very good. It was a little too much Italian seasoning taste for me so next time I’ll use ground beef. It’s creamy and tasty and has many possibilites for changing it up for personal tastes. Thanks for a keeper recipe!
Thank you Pearl!