Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole Recipe
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Million Dollar Spaghetti is a baked spaghetti casserole made with layers of noodles, a cream cheese, ricotta, and sour cream filling, and homemade meat sauce. It tastes like lasagna without stacking noodles. It is budget-friendly, ready in about an hour, and feeds a crowd.
If you are craving a dish that’s equal parts cozy, crowd-pleasing, and downright delicious – this Easy Baked Spaghetti Casserole is calling your name! It’s like your favorite lasagna and meaty spaghetti merged into one delicious dish with spaghetti nestled in a rich, meaty marinara sauce with a luscious layer of creamy cheeses that melts into every bite. The recipe is easy to prepare and is perfect for weeknights, potlucks, or when you crave comfort food.
Why You’ll Love this Easy Recipe
- Easy Recipe – This recipe is simple to whip up with pantry and refrigerator staples.
- Budget-Friendly – Made with pantry and refrigerator staples, no fancy ingredients.
- Make Ahead and Freezer Friendly – Prep this recipe ahead to quickly bake on the busiest weeknight or double up when you make it to place another in the freezer to bake and enjoy later. Win/ Win!
- Family and Crowd Favorite – Be prepared for requests for this easy baked casserole for family dinners and for potlucks.
- Customizable – See all the customizations under Recipe Tips and Variations and use them as starting point for making this casserole recipe your own based on what you and your family prefer and the ingredients you enjoy!
Why This Easy Baked Spaghetti is Called Million Dollar Spaghetti
This easy baked spaghetti is called Million Dollar Spaghetti because of the cream-cheese layer, not the grocery bill. ♡ The name comes from old church-cookbook dishes, where “million dollar” meant rich and indulgent. Spaghetti, meat sauce, and a layer of cream cheese, ricotta, and sour cream bake into a casserole that tastes like lasagna without stacking noodles.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Spaghetti: use your favorite type of spaghetti for this recipe.
- Sauce: You’ll need Ground Beef, Stone House Seasoning, Onion (optional), and Marinara Sauce.
- Cheese layer: A little more Stone House Seasoning, Cream Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, and Sour Cream.
- Topping: The casserole is topped with a final layer of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Butter: You’ll also need butter for this casserole.
Step by Step Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti and make the sauce.
- Make the cheese layer.
- Assemble casserole: butter layer.
- Assemble casserole: cooked spaghetti layer.
- Assemble casserole: cheese layer.
- Assemble casserole: meat sauce layer.
- Assemble casserole: repeat with cooked spaghetti.
- Assemble casserole: pour on the remaining sauce.
- Top, bake, rest, and serve.
What to Serve with Baked Spaghetti Casserole
I love to serve this baked spaghetti casserole with a simple crunchy green salad like my house salad recipe with a basic vinaigrette dressing or a creamy ranch dressing and a crusty loaf garlic bread. Perfection!
Recipe Tips and Variations
Cheese Swap: Try cottage cheese in place of the ricotta for added protein or use provolone in place of the mozzarella for a smokier flavor.
Meat Options: Substitute ground beef with ground chicken or ground turkey, Italian sausage, or use a mix of ground pork and ground beef for extra depth of flavor.
Veggie Boost: Stir in one cup of sauteed spinach, bell peppers, along with the onions in the meat sauce.
Time Saving Tip: Use your favorite high-quality store-bought marinara to save time or if you prefer homemade, make a large batch in advance and freeze to use in recipes such as these!
Kid-Friendly Tip: Break the spaghetti into smaller pieces before cooking for easier scooping and eating, especially for little ones.
Vegetarian: Use sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, or lentils in place of meat.
Gluten-Free: Use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti and certified gluten-free ingredients to make this dish gluten-free friendly.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave (1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking until warmed throughout). OR Cover with foil and warm in the oven at 350ºF for 15 – 20 minutes until heated through.
Freezer: This casserole freezes beautifully. Assemble the dish up to the baking step, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as directed. If baking from frozen, cover with foil and add 15-20 minutes to the initial baking time, then uncover top with final cheese topping and bake until bubbly.
Make Ahead: Prepare the casserole up to 24 hour in advance. Assemble, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Then bake as directed, adding 5 – 10 minutes if still cold from the fridge.
Reheating Tip: To keep leftovers moist, add a splash of water or marinara sauce before reheating, and cover to trap the steam.
Recipe Success Tips
Salt the pasta water. Salt the spaghetti before it goes into the casserole, or the finished dish tastes flat.
Drain the beef well. Extra grease makes the cheese layer separate and the casserole greasy.
Soften the cream cheese. Cold cream cheese will not blend into the ricotta and sour cream, and you will get lumps.
Use al dente spaghetti. It keeps cooking in the oven. Soft noodles turn mushy under the sauce.
Cover if the top browns too fast. Bake uncovered for the first 20 minutes, then cover, if it is browning too much.
Here’s my Easy Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole Recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Let me know in the comments!
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Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or stock pot
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 medium onion, chopped (optional)
- 24 ounces marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought
- 2 teaspoons Stone House Seasoning
- 1/2 cup butter, sliced thinly
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese
- 8 ounces sour cream, or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Cook spaghetti. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until it is cooked through but still firm to the bite (al dente), about 8 to 12 minutes. Drain, stir in 1/2 the butter slices, and set aside.
- Make the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef over medium heat until it is cooked throughout, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped onion (optional) and cook until the onion is cooked throughout and translucent, about 3 minutes. Drain well and discard any grease. Stir in all but 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce. Stir in 1 teaspoon of Stone House Seasoning. Set aside.
- Mix the cheese layer. Stir together the softened cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon of Stone House Seasoning in a medium bowl.
- Layer the casserole. Add 1/2 of the butter slices to baking dish. Add half of the pasta to a 9×13 casserole dish. Spread with the cheese layer, then half the sauce, then the remaining pasta. Pour over the remaining sauce and top with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the casserole is bubbly. Check at about 20 minutes and top with a piece of foil if the top is browning too much. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Â
- Freeze: Assemble without baking, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as directed.Â
- Make Ahead: Prepare the casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Assemble, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Then bake as directed, adding 5-10 minutes if it’s still cold from the fridge.
- Reheat: To keep leftovers moist, add a splash of water or marinara sauce before reheating, and cover to trap the steam.
- Stone House Seasoning: Use 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Delicious! My husband and I loved this casserole. I’d give it more stars than 5, if I could.
Easy to follow instructions with great results.
Thanks for another outstanding recipe Robyn!