The Ultimate Baked Spaghetti recipe – cheesy spaghetti topped with Italian seasoned cream cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese – SOOOO good! Spaghetti, eggs, parmesan cheese, melted butter, Italian seasoning, garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, Italian sausage, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Can make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for a quick meal later. Serve with a salad and some garlic bread for a meal better than any restaurant!
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Pin This RecipeThe Ultimate Baked Spaghetti
I call this The Ultimate Baked Spaghetti because I combined two of my favorite baked spaghetti recipes and made one great recipe. The “ultimate” if you will. This baked pasta is crazy good. I wanted to eat the whole pan! We ate this for dinner and again for lunch the next day. O-M-YUM! So delicious! I will take this casserole over a meal at a restaurant any day. One bite and you will surely agree!
How To Make Baked Spaghetti
This baked pasta recipe is very easy to make with only a few ingredients. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, parmesan, and melted butter. Season with salt and black pepper. Add cooked spaghetti and toss to coat. Spread spaghetti mixture in the bottom of a baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
In another bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, garlic, cream cheese, and sour cream. Spread an even layer over the pasta.
In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage or ground beef over medium heat until browned and no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Stir in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. Spread sauce over the cream cheese layer. Top casserole with mozzarella cheese. Bake in a preheated oven until bubbly and the cheese has melted. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- Can substitute ground turkey or turkey sausage for reduced calories.
- Feel free to add some fresh chopped yellow onion and bell pepper to the skillet when cooking the meat.
- My favorite store-bought spaghetti sauces are Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara (green label), Carbone, Rao’s, and La Famiglia DelGrosso.
- Can Baked Spaghetti be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- If baking cold straight from the fridge, you will need to add 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time.
- Can I freeze Baked Spaghetti? Absolutely! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, thaw completely and bake as directed below.
- This makes a lot of food. You can split the recipe into two 8×8 foil pans – bake one now and freeze one unbaked for later.
- For the leftovers, I cut them into single-serving squares and freeze them wrapped in plastic wrap. When ready to eat, just thaw and pop in the microwave. Perfect for a quick and easy meal later!
Baked Spaghetti Casserole for a Crowd
This makes a ton. It would be great for a potluck. You can serve about 12 people with this casserole. If you have a larger crowd, just double or triple the recipe. You can make this in advance, so it is great for parties! Serve this with a simple salad and some garlic bread and olive oil dip for an amazing Italian feast!
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The Ultimate Baked Spaghetti
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 16- oz thin spaghetti
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 5 Tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 lb Italian sausage or hamburger cooked
- 1 (24-oz) jar spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese, and melted butter. Toss with pasta. Place in prepared pan.
- Combine Italian seasoning, garlic, cream cheese, and sour cream. Spread over pasta.
- Combined cooked sausage or hamburger and spaghetti sauce. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Top with 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Steph
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Hello
I was wondering do I cover the spaghetti up in foil before I put in the oven ? and should I put the spaghetti on the top shelf or the bottom shelf in the oven??
I bake it uncovered on the middle rack in the oven. Enjoy!
I made this for hubby and myself earlier in the week and it was wonderful! While preparing, I divided everything evenly into two 8×8 pans and froze one (without the mozzarella cheese on top) for another day. We both loved the combination of sour cream and cream cheese with the spaghetti and sauce. I used plain Ragu sauce but next time will use a more flavorful sauce or doctor it up some. When we reheated the leftovers the next day, I added garlic and onion powder, bit more mozzarella and just microwaved it. It was better the second time around! It is rare for me to find a "casserole" hubby likes but this one is definitely going to appear on the menu every few weeks. Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I’m making this recipe tonight for the 2nd time and can’t wait to see if it turns out just as good this time as it did last time. An interesting spin on the spaghetti dish. So rich and creamy with alot of flavor. I also loved how I could tweak the amount of the ingredients to my preference. This dish was a hit with all of us.
This has become my husband’s favorite!
Just wondered if anyone has mixed it altogether and baked it. I thought the pasta might get dry without the sauce mixed in. Also my husband isn't a fan of cream cheese and sour cream and I thought it would be less recognizable to him that way.
It won't help mixing it. He will still taste both even mixed together. Plus mixing it would ruin this dish. You could make two pans of it though one with the creamy layer, one without. Cook both then freeze half of each for another dinner. The pasta isn't dry at all. The egg/butter/Parmesan mixture makes it firm but moist. Too bad hubs doesn't like cream cheese or sour cream though, that makes this dish really good.
Hey Steph!
It's been awhile since I had a chance to make any of your great recipes but I just made this dish last night and I am thinking that my "thin" spaghetti wasn't thin enough because I ended up with too much of the spaghetti layer and my pan was full before I could get to the meat sauce part so I improvised and luckily had enough extra everything to make two 1/3 full pans lol One for us and one for my Mom and Brother who LOVED it. What brand did you use for your noodle?
Lawanda, when I make this or any other baked spaghetti recipe I mix mine together. I think it turns out better that way. But I mix all the ingredients together except the mozzarella and some of the parmesean cheese and layer that over the top. It turns out great and doesn't mess the recipe up. Some times I spread a little sauce on top before the cheese layer.
Lawanda, when I make this or any other baked spaghetti recipe I mix mine together. I think it turns out better that way. But I mix all the ingredients together except the mozzarella and some of the parmesean cheese and layer that over the top. It turns out great and doesn't mess the recipe up. Some times I spread a little sauce on top before the cheese layer.
That’s definitely how I do it and it’s delicious!
As I am on summer vacation it is always my mission to begin trying new recipes that will be delicious, easy for the work week and be enough to feed us for two days. This recipe checks all my needs. I made it tonight and it was incredibly delicious. My husband raved over it and said that this recipe definitely needs to be a part of our menu. Thank you for sharing!
I made it today and it would have been better if I would have mixed the noodles with the meat sauce.
I cooked this last night but want to reheat it for friends in the next day or so. For how long do you recommend I cook it and at what temperature?
I'd probably cook it covered at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
My family and I are obsessed with this bake! I found myself going back for 2nds, 3rds and 4ths. Super rich and easy to make. I ran out of time and the fam was hungry so I upped the temp to 400 and baked for 20 and it came out perfect. Thanks so much for making and sharing!
I made this last night & it was SO good! A big hit with everyone! And it's so simple too. What a great combination – delicious & easy! Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
love this recipe! I've always made it true to the recipe but tonight I made a healthier version. we have several friends over for dinner and I wanted to see if anyone could tell a difference. no one could! they all loved it! I used whole wheat noodles, light sour cream, non fat cream cheese, turkey meatballs and low fat skim milk shredded mozzarella cheese. it was awesome! next time I'll also substitute the butter for olive oil and see how that goes. 🙂
Hi there! To freeze this – do you bake, then freeze and reheat? or freeze unbaked, thaw and bake?
Thanks!
I freeze unbaked, thaw then bake.
Is there a way to make this without the spaghetti sauce?
I just finished eating some of this. It is very good and very rich. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Oh my gosh this looks and sounds delicious. Printing now to save for when my diet allows a little over indulging.
Hi
What brand of spaghetti sauce did you use in this recipe.
Jackie – I used Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic sauce.
Should it be covered to bake?
no
I definitely like your version of spaghetti. Looks tasty and I like it can be frozen.
I just clicked on the link and it worked for me. Maybe it was a temporary glitch. Definitely try again.