Favorite Baked Spaghetti – the most requested casserole in our house! Loaded with tons of yummy cheese!!! Spaghetti, Italian sausage, eggs, parmesan cheese, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese. Can make ahead and refrigerate or freeze for later. Great for parties, potlucks or homemade gifts. Serve with a salad and some garlic rolls for a meal better than any restaurant! #freezermeal #casserole #pasta #spaghetti
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Pin This RecipeBaked spaghetti casseroles are a favorite in our house, and this is our Favorite Baked Spaghetti recipe. SO cheesy and delicious!! Spaghetti and meat sauce loaded with parmesan, cottage cheese, and mozzarella. YUM! This casserole is comfort food at its best! We ate this for dinner and had the leftovers for lunch. It was as good (if not better) reheated the next day. All you need is a salad and some garlic bread and dinner is done.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti Casserole
This casserole is easy to make. Start with cooking the pasta. Next start on the meat sauce. Brown some Italian sausage. Add spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese, and butter. Add cooked pasta and toss. Spread half of the pasta in a baking dish. Top with cottage cheese, mozzarella, and half of the meat sauce. Repeat the layers and bake.
- I used Italian sausage in this casserole. Feel free to swap it for turkey sausage, ground turkey, or ground beef.
- I don’t like cottage cheese. What can I use instead? I encourage you to try this with cottage cheese. It is wonderful! If you just can’t do it, you can try this with ricotta cheese instead.
- Can I make baked spaghetti in advance? Yes! You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time if baking straight from the refrigerator.
- Can baked spaghetti be frozen? Yes! You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and freeze unbaked for later. To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed below.
- This makes a lot of spaghetti. You can easily half the recipe. I usually split the casserole between two 9×9-inch foil pans. I bake one and freeze one for later.
- Can this be made in the slow cooker? Sure! Layer everything in the crockpot and cook on low for several hours.
- I like to use Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara in this casserole. It is the one with the green label. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s close by, I also love Rao’s and La Famiglia Delgrosso brand jarred sauces. I find both of those at Walmart, Target, and Publix.
What to Serve with Baked Spaghetti
This spaghetti casserole really is a family favorite. It is super easy to make and tastes AH-MAZ-ING! It is a great dish for potlucks and dinner parties. I also like to make this to take to friends that had a baby or surgery. We usually serve this with a salad and garlic bread. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this pasta casserole:
Creamy Italian Dressing
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Feta Skillet Bread
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Italian Green Bean Salad
Italian Green Bean Salad – quick and delicious side dish! Green beans, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, prosciutto, and mozzarella tossed…
Garlic Roll Cupcakes
Garlic Roll Cupcakes – great with pasta! Super easy to make with only 4 ingredients! Refrigerated bread sticks, garlic seasoning,…
Favorite Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-oz) package spaghetti
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 (26-oz) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 5 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.
- While spaghetti cooks, cook Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Check seasoning. Add salt and/or pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese and melted butter. Add cooked spaghetti and toss to coat.
- Place half of spaghetti mixture in bottom of baking pan. Top with half of cottage cheese, half of meat sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.
- Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Notes:
Steph
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I've never been a big fan of baked spaghetti, but I will admit this dish was well worth the effort and I must applaud you. I did alter it somewhat, as I make my own sauce (have for years. All in all it was great. The smell throughout my house brought the family running to the table. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to trying more of your dishes soon.
So glad you enjoyed it
How long can it be left in the freezer.
Looks soooo yummie.. Definitely a must try dish !
Thank you. Can't wait to try this!
If you are freezing, will you need to thaw before baking or can you bake from frozen?
I thaw it before baking. You will need to add more time if baking frozen
Love a recipe that you can work once and eat twice! My husband does't like it when I try to make us eat leftovers three nights in a row to use it up, hehe. Definitely will try it!
Could I sub ground beef? I already have some in freezer!!!
Can I switch the cottage cheese for ricotta? Thanks
Sure can! I think it would taste better
Yes it would be better