This was the best thing we ate last week. It was quick and delicious!! I saw a version of this on Pinterest. It looked so good that I had to add it to the menu ASAP!
You probably have everything you need to make this pasta dish in your pantry right now. This can be made ahead of time and baked when you are ready. I love these kind of dishes. The pasta was really creamy and wonderful! We both absolutely loved it. It was even better the next day at lunch. This will be going into our usual dinner rotation!
Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole
adapted from Food.com and salad-in-a-jar.com
(Printable Recipe)
12 oz spaghetti
1 (28 ounce) jars prepared spaghetti sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.
Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl. Add cream cheese, Italian Seasoning and minced garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.
Lightly grease a 9x13" pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.
86 comments:
Simple and delicious is a hard dish to beat. Your shot of it made me hungry.
I love casseroles. Like you say, quick and easy. This one looks very tasty!
OH my gosh, this looks so yummy! Thank you! You are making me very fat
We have this often in our house and I use it as a way to use up bits and bobs of everything. I just call it Pasta Bake. Oddly, there is never any leftovers from it.
I make a similar recipe with green onions mixed in with the cream cheese & noodles and I top it with cheddar cheese. Mmmmm!
I think I do have all of that in the pantry.
Yup, you're right. I do have everything I need to make this. Looks like dinner tonight!
Oh my goodness! I am super excited to make this. :) Looks so yummy!
Steph this sounds amazing and so family friendly! Yum! How many servings do you think this makes?
My only word for this is YUM!
I'm making this with some sausage I have to use up... and some Mexican cheese that's in the fridge right now. YUMMY!
Creamy and oozing with cheese, how could I not want to try this? It looks excellent. What jarred sauce do you like?
It's in the oven right now and has 20 min left to bake. I used sausage, added some onion, and sprinkled with mozzarella cheese that I had on hand. I'm going to make a slice of Texas toast and a little dinner salad to go with it.
It rained today and it's cold (for southern California!)... so it's nice, warm comfort food...
Sounds good Joyce! We'll be right over!
Fantastic!
One thing - I'd let the cream cheese sit out a bit before mixing. That was harder than I thought it would be.
Oh, and it's wonderful for leftovers as well. We're having it again tonight... but I was too lazy to do the toast and salad... this meal stands alone!
Cream cheese should be pretty soft for easier mixing.
This sounds delicious! Does anyone know if this could this be done with Spaghetti Squash?
This was a HUGE Hit at my house over the weekend. Although, I made a minor change using pork and turkey in place of the beef (my daughter does not eat beef) and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I made this yesterday for dinner and everyone loved it!!! My husband and I both had it for lunch as leftovers and it was even better. I didn't think that was possible. THANK YOU for sharing this!
I came across your bacon cheddar ranch pull apart bread on pinterest and after reading through your posts I just have to say... You and I would be friends :-)
Keep posting
When you get to the part of adding the cream cheese to the spaghetti, are you supposed to pre soften the cream cheese???
I found it VERY hard to stir the cream cheese block into the spaghetti and have it melt, I ended up putting it back on the stove over low heat to try and help melt it and it still didn't help that much. Or is there part of the directions missing?? Not sure.
Thanks
Dawn - I didn't soften the cream cheese. I just added the hot spaghetti to it and stirred it up. If your cream cheese was too hard to stir, just let it sit out and soften before making.
This was yummy. Kind of a compromise between spaghetti and lasagna and a change from the same boring meal. Thanks :)
I was just wondering what type of jarred spaghetti sauce you used. I typically use hunt's because that what my husband is used to but I'd really like to find a better one.
Lindsay - my favorite sauce is La Famiglia Delgrosso pasta sauce. The tomato basil is great.
I also like Trader Joe's roasted garlic marinara - I don't always have that on hand though since we don't have a TJ in Alabama. I have to stock up when I go out of town.
I saw this on pinterest, made it, loved it, and shared it on my blog justalittlebs.com Thanks!!
Made this tonight - it was delicious! I think it would also work well with spaghetti squash!
Found on pinterest today..made it tonight and YUM!! Simple, Cheap and super quick!! Thank you!!! ;)
This is probably a dumb question, but when you say parmesan cheese, grated..are you referring to the bottle of parmesan or fresh parmesan and grate it yourself???
Lewisrat2003 - I just used the green can parmesan cheese, but you can grate your own if you'd like
Thank you!!! Planning on making this for dinner and just wanted to be sure..sounds and looks GREAT!!!
Did anyone else have a problem with this being a little dry? My pasta is creamy, but in a dry kind of way...anybody else?
I'm making this for dinner tonight. So excited to eat and eat!
My hubby and I host a young adult study on Tuesday nights and we feed about 25. How many servings does one recipe make? We are serving this on Tuesday !!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It was delicious and my family said we should have it again. I am giving you a two thumbs up on my pinterest review board. THANKS AGAIN!
Does this dish freeze well? It looks like it makes a lot. It would be nice to take a piece out of the freezer on a busy weeknight.
I made this and re-blogged about it, and gave you full credit of course. Just wanted to let you know, and thanks for all the great recipes, LOVE your site!
Tried it and LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! awesome
Can you make this ahead to the point of putting it the casserole dish and then throw it in the oven later? Thinking i may just have to cook it a little longer than 30 to warm through? Would work great on the night my kids have sports. Thanks :)
MS - yes, you can make it ahead of time and bake it later. Just add a few more minutes to the baking time.
Very yummy and easier than a recipe I had that required tempering an egg. Thanks, adding this to our rotation.
Made this yesterday for dinner from leftovers the night before and we all loved it! Would def have this over lasagna any day. This really was a nice change. I did add shredded mozzarella cheese along with parmesan. As far as being dry I wouldn't know as my brother inlaw took the leftovers to work :) But I would add a little lite butter or olive oil when reheating.
I made this for dinner tonight! I knew right away that I will be making it often...my husband licked his sketti bowl!!! The only 2 changes -add sour cream to make it even creamier but that's just a personal preference! And I used chicken instead beef..It was SOOO yummy!! Thank you for sharing!
I made this on Friday for my family and it was a hit! Even my picky five year old loved it. I loved the creaminess that the cream cheese added to the spaghetti. I will be making this again for sure!
I'm so excited to try this!!! I was thinking about what to have tonight for dinner and remembered I pinned this from Pinterest!!! Thanks for all of your recipes. I've tried several and haven't found one we don't love!!!
Tomatoes are so plentiful and affordable right now that I made a meat sauce with slow roasted tomatoes and then followed this recipe. OMG, is this good! The home-made sauce is sooooo easy and makes a great recipe just incredible.
MamaSooz - you are right, homemade sauce is the best! I bet this was amazing with your sauce!!
I just happened to stumble across this site. I had a wholr heap of cream cheese in the fridge that I had no clue what to do with. I had all the other ingredients in stock. I was just going to make my typical pasta and meatsauce tonight. I saw this recipe and had ti make it. Wow, it is so yummy. This will be a new regular. Thank you!!!
Looks delishish! Has anybody tried freezing this? Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I made this tonight with a few changes and it was really good. I sautéed diced onion, celery, carrot and sliced mushrooms with the garlic before browning lean ground beef. I used whole wheat in spaghetti and low fat cream cheese and added a 16 oz bag of chopped broccoli (thawed) to that. I was surprised at how thick the noodle mixture became with the cream cheese addition so I added 1 cup of sour cream to help blend it all together better. (Next time I will remember to save some of the pasta cooking water and use that instead). I might also increase the amount of tomato sauce next time, as well. We both enjoyed this meal and I'll be making it again. It really does make a lot of food so we'll easily get 3 dinners out of this. I will try freezing a portion, as well.
This does sound good with sauteed group onions. I could see adding a bit more veggies though. Ann's substitutions sound very tasty!
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Whenever I use cream cheese in this way, I cut it up into cubes and stir it in. Much easier to melt that way. I would also let it soften on the counter for a bit.
Whenever I use cream cheese in this way, I cut it up into cubes and stir it in. Much easier to melt that way. I would also let it soften on the counter for a bit.
Follow up to my post on May 10: This is even better as leftovers! The flavors have a chance to meld together and it reheats beautifully in the oven. I did warm up extra tomato sauce to spoon over individual servings and that really helped it not have a "dry" consistency to it. We are on our 3rd night of this casserole and still have enough for one more lunch or dinner! It really does make a lot of food and would be great for a potluck or family gathering. This is also a meal I would make without meat as I think it's substantial enough without it when adding broccoli to the cream cheese & pasta layer and onions, carrots, and celery to the sauce. Also, in my post above, I meant to type "thin spaghetti" and not "in spaghetti".
I am expecting and would like to make this and freeze it. What would you recommend for the cook temp and bake time when I pull it out of the freezer? Thanks for your help.
Kristin - I would bake the casserole covered for 20-25 minutes and then uncovered for 30 minutes.
Made this last night for dinner and loved it. The flavor was great and I can't wait to devour the left-overs. The only negative I can say is that it was a teeny bit dry, but I think that's because I could only find a 24oz jar of sauce. Oh, and my husband wanted more meat, but he always wants more meat, so that doesn't count, hehe :) Thanks for a great recipe!
Making this again tonight, thanks Steph you're seriously a genius!
xx
Tab
my-cliffnotes.blogspot.com
I use prego and ragu together. like one if them has garlic and sausage. The other maybe 6 cheese. I always add a bit of sugar to my sauce.
I made this with 100% whole wheat spaghetti, low fat cream cheese and It was delish! Thx!
I made this tonight for my meat and potatos husband ... HUGE success. I had some sliced pepperoni that I needed to use so I just placed them over the meat sauce before adding cheese. Next time I am going to use the Sargento Italian 6 cheese shredded cheese, as well as the parmesan and probably 32 ozs. of sauce. I didn't tonight but I normally add a couple of tbsp of brown sugar to my Italian sauces. I plan on doing that next time as well. My husband is excited about left overs tomorrow!!
I just found this recipe on Pinterest the other day and made it for dinner tonight. It was delicious! The only problem I had was that it turned out a little dry but it could have been my fault as halfway through cooking, I discovered that I was out of spaghetti so I cooked linguine instead. I will definitely be adding this to our favorites list. Thank you (0=
I made this last night, and it was a huge hit. The only thing I found was next time I will use more than just 1 jar of sauce, it turned out pretty dry. Other than that it was very good and the kids loved it vs. just plain ole spaghetti. Thanks!!
My husband hates spaghetti but I crave it - a problem I've been trying to solve for 9 years. Last night when he walked in I asked him "So, do you know what tonight is?" I saw a wave of panic cross his face, his mind racing through anniversary/special dates. In my best attempt at sexy (which is just awful), I said "Tonight is the night...I turn you on to spaghetti!" He cracked up, and even better, we both LOVED it! Thank you :)
Natalie - too funny! I'm so glad it was a hit!
I make this quite often. It's the only way to make spaghetti!!! Thanks! I blogged about it and linked it to your blog! :)
http://joeandbethany.blogspot.com
I found this on Pinterest today and was a little skeptical about cream cheese and spaghetti. It smelled delicious and after one bite all my husband and I could say was "oh my gosh." Hands down, new favorite food! Thanks for the recipe!!
Hey there. Making this for dinner tonight for the "crew". Been on my menu a while so I'm looking forward to this.
Question: my niece just had a baby and I'm taking them dinner this weekend, would this freeze ok if they want to save it? Thanks! Love your food as always. So kid friendly. Figured you have a slew of 'em running around.
Saunders Crew - this would freeze well.
Believe it or not, we have no kids! I just attribute all the kid-friendly food to the fact that I grew up a really, really picky eater. I know how to please all picky eaters!
Has anyone prepared this prior to baking? Curious on cooking the meat and noodles and putting it all together, leaving it in the fridge until I'm ready to bake it in the evening. Thoughts? Anyone try this?
iheartcashmere - I think it would be fine if you assembled this ahead of time and baked it the next day or so.
This is on rhe menu this week with veggie crumbles instead of ground beef.
I make this all the time but use Zucchini instead of noodles. Makes it awesome for people watching the carbs and it is amazing. Everyone always wants the recipe :)
Wow, Ragu meets cream cheese! Sounds divine. Will try for sure.
I made this for dinner tonight and it is delicious! I had all of the ingredients at home and it was so easy to make. I'll definitely be making this again :)
I made this tonight and loved it. I used a bag of the mini pepperonis instead of the pound of ground beef- yum:)
So simple and quick to make. Perfect comfort food. I prepared this ahead of time so baked it longer. 30 min covered then 35 min uncovered. I used ground turkey, low fat cream cheese, and lots of garlic. I also doubled the sauce and topped it with fontina cheese along with the parmesean. It was killer! Everyone loved it! Thank you :)
Any suggestions on how to make this in a crock pot? I would love to take this for food day at work. Thanks.
Made this for the man last night-he devoured it!! I've never seen him eat so much pasta in one sitting!! It was tasty!
BTW I used ground turkey and whole wheat pasta and it was STILL that good! Added mozzarella on top too, with the Parmesan.
I'm making this tomorrow for my book club! About how many servings does this make? Wondering if I should double the recipe. Thanks!
Leeann - this will serve 8-10 - especially if you serve it with some salad and bread.
I made a couple of small changes. I used Italian sausage instead of ground beef, and added a box of frozen chopped spinach (thawed, drained). Hubby is currently on his 3rd serving! Turned out great & enough left overs for the week!
Kimberly - definitely sounds like a hit!
Yum! We all loved this recipe! I ended up sautéing my garlic clove before browning the beef; also put the assembled casserole under the broiler to brown the cheese rather than cooking it for 30 min. Loved it!
Made this last night. I forgot to add the Italian Seasoning, but even then it was delicious. I actually divided it up into two 8x8 brownie pans and froze one for later (there's just the two of us). Served with garlic bread and a caesar salad. YUM!
Yum! I don't used process spegetti sauce. I love to make my own that's easy and so yummy. I'd substitue that and do the rest! I already use hamburger meat or ground sausage in my sauce so that I wouldn't do double.
In case anyone is interested:
I use a lb of ground meat (sausage, turkey, hamburger - your choice)
1 cut up onion
1 sliced zuchinni
1 package sliced mushrooms
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped basil
3-4 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
1/2 cup fresh oragano and also parshly (or to your desire)
about 18 oz of diced tomatoes
start to brown meat and halfway through add the seasonings and then add the veggies, except the tomatoes. You add those after the veggies are fully cooked.
It's actually really easy and so much better than canned sauce and also more texture and not just saucey. You can add tomato paste or some sauce in a can by the canned tomatos to make it more saucy if you like.
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