Our easy Million Dollar Spaghetti is the perfect dinner for feeding a crowd! The combination of meat sauce, a flavorful ricotta mixture, cooked noodles, and all the best creamy cheese. This baked spaghetti is truly next level – the whole family is going to love it!
The Best Million Dollar Spaghetti
For years, a classic spaghetti dinner with homemade marinara sauce has been a family favorite at our house. We love this delicious dinner, but we also love the heartiness of an easy homemade lasagna. Enter this epic million dollar spaghetti bake! It is a wonderful combination of these two Italian pasta dishes. The ricotta mixture, the layers, spaghetti sauce, and all the creamy cheese make this spaghetti casserole a definite crowd-pleaser!
Looking for More Pasta Recipes?
If you love an easy pasta dinner as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Lazy Lasagna! Made in a skillet in about 30 minutes!
What You Will Need
- ground beef – option to swap out with ground turkey or even ground chicken, but we highly recommend a classic ground beef.
- ground pork – if you want to add even more flavor, try using a spicy or sweet Italian sausage.
- yellow onion & fresh garlic – classic flavor starters for this delicious pasta dish.
- marinara sauce – just pick-up a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce at your local grocery store!
- fresh basil – absolutely love this fresh herb in just about anything!
- kosher salt, dried parsley, & Italian seasoning – simple seasonings that bring all the best flavor.
- ricotta cheese – a smooth cheese that has the best rich and creamy texture.
- shredded mozzarella cheese & parmesan cheese – essential ingredients when making any million dollar spaghetti casserole.
- lemon juice – a little bit of acidity only helps to amplify all the delicious flavor.
- egg – just one egg to help bind the ricotta mixture together.
- spaghetti noodles – we love using classic spaghetti noodles, but you really could use any types of pasta.
- cream cheese – tossed in the hot noodles to melt, it really gives a wonderful creaminess to the whole dish.
How To Make Million Dollar Spaghetti
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather all of the simple ingredients.
Put the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, parmesan, lemon juice, parsley, Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons fresh basil, egg, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix to fully combine.
Now bring a large skillet to a medium high heat and add ground beef and ground pork (or sausage) to cook. Use a wooden spoon to break the ground meat apart and fully brown. Then add onion and garlic to the beef mixture. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes. Next, add in the marinara sauce, 1/4 cup of basil, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix to combine and heat on low to warm throughout.
While the pasta sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and then drain the cooked noodles and return to the pot. Add softened cream cheese, about 1 cup of the meat sauce to the noodles, pasta water and salt. Toss to coat and let the cream cheese melt.
In a 9×13 baking dish, add about half of the spaghetti noodles in an even layer, spread half of the ricotta mixture on top, then the rest of the cooked spaghetti noodles, and the rest of the ricotta cheese mixture. Now pour the remaining meat sauce on top.
Top the sauce with the rest of the shredded mozzarella cheese (add as much as you like). Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 5 minutes.
Remove this delicious dish from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before digging in!
Best Ways To Serve Million Dollar Spaghetti
A pan of million dollar baked spaghetti is the perfect comfort food all by itself, but we always love to serve with some fresh parsley and sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top! And on the side, you can learn how to make garlic bread, buy some store-bought crusty bread, or maybe make a small house salad. Enjoy at your next family gathering!
Meal Prep & Freezing
This baked spaghetti recipe is a great option to make ahead of time. Feel free to assemble, place the foil on top, and instead of baking in the oven, store in the fridge to bake in the next 1-2 days. Or move to the freezer, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake according to the recipe card instructions. Perfect for stocking the freezer!
Storage
Leftover baked spaghetti can be covered in plastic wrap or moved to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for 4-5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or return to the oven.
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Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stovetop + Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our epic Million Dollar Spaghetti recipe is full of flavor and perfect for a Sunday Supper with the family or feeding a crowd!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. ground pork or Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 24oz jar of marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh basil, divided and roughly chopped
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 15oz whole ricotta cheese (dairy-free or whole milk)
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 egg
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- 4–6 oz cream cheese, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- serving: fresh parsley and/or grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make Meat Sauce: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add ground beef and ground pork (or sausage). Break apart in the pan and move around until it is fully cooked. Drain excess grease. Add garlic and onion to the hot pan; allow to cook down 1-2 minutes. Add marinara sauce, 1/4 cup fresh basil, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir to combine and warm throughout. Remove from heat.
- Make Ricotta Mixture: In a large bowl, add ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, parmesan, lemon juice, parsley, Italian seasoning, remaining fresh basil, egg, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir to fully combine.
- Cook Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add noodles, and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add cream cheese, approx. 1 cup of meat sauce, 1/2 cup pasta water and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the pot of noodles. Toss to coat and let the cream cheese melt. Continue adding pasta water, as needed, to ensure noodle stay creamy.
- Assemble: Using a 9×13 pan, add half of the noodles in the bottom and then spread half of the ricotta mixture on top. Then add the rest of the noodles and the remaining ricotta mixture. Spread the remaining meat sauce on top. Cover with the rest of the mozzarella cheese (or as much as you want).
- Bake: Cover with aluminum foil and move the entire baking dish to the preheated oven to bake for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and return to oven for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve: Let cool for a little bit and then serve.
Notes
- Dairy-Free: swap out the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan for the dairy free alternatives.
- Gluten Free: simply use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti noodles.
- Make Ahead: this recipe can easily be made the day before, covered with aluminum foil, stored in the fridge and cooked the next day. Be sure to let the baking dish come back to room temperature before placing in the hot oven. The entire dish will need to cook longer than if you made it the same day, so adjust accordingly and leave the foil on for about half of the adjusted cook time and then remove.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 416
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 840.9 mg
- Fat: 15.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 86.7 mg
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