Baked Spaghetti

Y’all my Baked Spaghetti recipe is straight up comfort food goals. It’s got layers on layers of rich meaty spaghetti sauce, tender pasta, creamy filling and melty cheese. Serve this baby up for a potluck, game day or Sunday supper. Regardless of when you eat this baked spaghetti, it’s a win every single time boos.

Listen y’all, the next time you are craving spaghetti, turn it up a notch and serve my baked spaghetti recipe. It’s meaty, saucy, creamy and cheesy boos. It’s got all the vibes of lasagna but with it’s own personality and style.

Southerners never shy away from making just about anything into a casserole, and this Southern baked spaghetti recipe is no exception to that rule.

The Lowdown of This Baked Spaghetti

Cuisine Inspiration: Pure Italian inspired Southern comfort food

Primary Cooking Method: Baking

Dietary Info: Meaty and cheesy y’all. This ain’t for my veggie boos.

Key Flavor: Savory, Saucy, Meaty, Melty vibes

Skill Level: Pretty Easy (No Sweat Fam!)

It’s a Piece of Cake

Now I know all these steps and layers may have you shook but don’t get intimidated. It does take a bit of prep time but the instructions couldn’t be easier.

The Ultimate Comfort Food

This hearty spaghetti bake recipe is the type of comforting dish that warms the soul while satisfying all those food cravings. Those cheese pulls are enough to make you lose your mind boos!

Impressive Crowd Pleaser

This spaghetti casserole is the perfect dish to serve for potlucks, family gatherings, and anything else you can dream up.

Ingredients you’ll need to make baked spaghetti recipe

For the Spaghetti Sauce

• Extra virgin olive oil: This is gonna sauté up that meat and veggies bringing in the flavor.
• Meat: The combo of ground beef and Italian sausage give ample savory meaty vibes in each and every bite.
• Aromatics and veggies: Onions, green peppers, and garlic start building the flavor and textures.
• Tomatoes: We mix in tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes which give heartiness and a wonderful sauce base.
• Liquids: Chicken stock has great savory notes while thinning out our sauce. That red wine gives nuance and depth of flavor for reals.
• Sugar: Just a touch balances the acid and tartness of the tomatoes.
• Seasoning: We toss in Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to get those flavors popping.

For the Ricotta Filling and Assembly

• Ricotta Cheese: Don’t skimp boos. I use full fat to get the ultimate creaminess.
• Egg: It helps stabilize and bind the mixture once baked.
• Basil: This important fresh herb stays giving ample Italian flavor.
• Cheese: Parmesan adds sharp flavor to the creamy filling while mozzarella is used in the spaghetti bake layers giving the ultimate melty cheese pulls.
• Salt: We gotta flavor it up with this.
• Spaghetti: The perfect noodle for this spaghetti casserole recipe that soaks up all that meaty, saucy, cheesy goodness!

How to make baked spaghetti

Step 1: Get Saucy

1

Cook the ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, green pepper, and salt and pepper in olive oil.

2

Once browned, add the garlic.

3

Toss in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, sugar, and red pepper flakes.

4

Simmer until the sauce has thickened.

Step 2: Cheese It Up and Bake!

5

Combine the ricotta cheese, egg, basil, parmesan cheese, and salt in a large bowl. Mix everything together until creamy and well-mixed.

6

Cook your spaghetti, drain, add sauce, toss then begin layering by spreading 1/3 of the spaghetti noodles and sauce in your baking dish.

7

Top with half of the ricotta filling and then a large amount of mozzarella cheese.

8

Repeat layering steps then add the final layer of spaghetti and sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

9

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and delicious. Cool for 10-15 minutes, sprinkle with parsley and serve it up!

What to serve with spaghetti bake

• With Salad: When you have a hearty spaghetti bake recipe like this, you gotta lighten it up a bit. This harvest salad is definitely the move.
• Get Bready: Get you a filling bread like these garlic cheese breadsticks or have this no-knead garlic bread on deck.
• Veggies galore: Keep it low key with steamed vegetables, glazed carrots or double down on decadent creamy vibes with creamed spinach.
• Get Your Dessert On: Go super indulgent with this Italian remixed banana pudding tiramisu or go light with a lemon sorbet after all that heavy goodness.

Meal Plan: Remixed Italian Dinner

This shrimp caesar salad is giving all those Italian vibes you love with a twist.

This baked spaghetti is definitely the hearty Italian main dish to serve up.

Garlic bread always has to be on the table when you serve this baked spaghetti.

Strawberry tiramisu is the best way to end this meal with a bang.

Recipe Substitutions

• Meat: Feel free to swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken. Replace the sausage with chorizo or even chicken or turkey sausage.
• Pasta: This is baked spaghetti after all but you can totally use rigatoni, shells or linguine here, and it still taste bomb.
• Ricotta: You can replace the ricotta with mascarpone, cottage cheese or cream cheese.
• Cheeses: Mozzarella can be replaced with fontina or provolone. Swap out the parm for asiago or pecorino romano.

Recipe Variations and Additions

• Go Vegan: Take out the meat all together or swap the meat for lentils, eggplant, meaty mushrooms or another veggie-based protein you love.
• Add more veggies: Toss in some spinach or kale. You can either add to the sauce or layer on top of the ricotta cheese layers before baking.
• Meat Lovers: Mix in more meats like chicken or bacon along with the ground meat and sausage.
• Go with Pizza Vibes: Toss in some pepperoni and olives to the mix.
• Carbonara Vibes: Add some cooked pancetta or bacon and peas to the sauce. Then whisk more eggs into the ricotta mixture before baking.

Expert Tips and Tricks for making the best spaghetti casserole

1. Pick a Deep Dish Pan: Selecting a deep pan will allow you to add more layers of deliciousness, cheesiness, and irresistible flavor.
2. Go Al Dente: Make sure you don’t overcook your spaghetti or it will turn to mush when you bake it.
3. Freshly grate your cheese: Freshly grated cheese melts better than pre-shredded options. And don’t grab canned parmesan cheese off the shelves either boos. You will want freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese from a block. It’s a game changer!
4. Skip the premade meat sauce: I know that making your own sauce can be a pain but I promise it’s worth it. Jarred sauces tend to be heavy on sugar, salt, and artificial meat flavorings that just don’t compare to the real thing y’all.
5. Chill Mode: Let your spaghetti casserole rest before you dig in. It makes it easier to serve up.

How to store & reheat baked spaghetti

Cool the spaghetti casserole down to room temp then store in an airtight container.

Reheat a single portion in the microwave or you can reheat the casserole dish in the oven until hot and bubbly again (about 15-25 minutes at 350°F).

How long will baked spaghetti last in the fridge?

It should last up to 3-4 days.

Can I freeze spaghetti casserole?

For sure boos. You can freeze spaghetti bake before or after you cook it up. Just wrap super tightly in plastic wrap then in foil and freeze. Add the date. It should last up to 3 months.

Frequently asked questions

Y’all I don’t need to convince you to make this delish baked spaghetti casserole. The flavors will do it for me. It’s rich, savory, saucy, cheesy and downright addictive. Get into it boos.

More Fave Italian Inspired recipes

• Shrimp Scampi Pasta
• Spaghetti and Lentil Meatballs
• Italian Pot Roast with Bolognese Sauce
• Homemade Pizza Sauce
• Baked Ziti
• Lasagna
• Lentil Meatballs and Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti Recipe

This Southern Baked Spaghetti contains several indulgent layers of rich and meaty Bolognese, pasta and luscious cheesy creamy filling making this THE dish to serve at every potluck, game day and celebration you have!

4.65 from 74 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Resting Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

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Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Course: Main Course

Servings: 16 servings

Equipment

• vegetable grater
• Dutch Oven
• deep baking dish

Ingredients

For the Spaghetti Sauce

• ▢ 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
• ▢ 1 lb Italian sausage
• ▢ 1 cup chopped onions
• ▢ ½ cup chopped green peppers
• ▢ Seasoned salt to taste
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 tbsp minced garlic
• ▢ 42 oz crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 29 oz tomato sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp red wine
• ▢ ¼ cup chicken stock
• ▢ 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ 2 tbsp + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

For the Ricotta Filling

• ▢ 15 oz ricotta cheese
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp basil chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• ▢ ½ tsp salt

For the Remaining Ingredients

• ▢ 16 ounces spaghetti
• ▢ 3-4 cups mozzarella or Italian blend shredded cheese
• ▢ Parsley for garnish

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Instructions

For the Spaghetti Sauce

• Add olive oil to large pot over medium high heat on stove.
• Add ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, green pepper and salt and pepper. Brown until cooked.
• Next add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Then add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened about 30-40 minutes.

For the Ricotta Filling

• Combine ricotta cheese, egg, basil, parmesan cheese and salt in a large bowl and mix until combined.
• Set aside.

For the Spaghetti Pasta

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil then add spaghetti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Don't cook all the way.  Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Add sauce to spaghetti and toss to combine then set sauced spaghetti aside.
• Preheat oven to 375.

For Assembly

• Begin layering by adding ⅓ of sauced spaghetti to bottom of the 9×13 deep baking dish.
• Next spread with half of ricotta filling then top with a large amount of mozzarella cheese..
• Repeat steps with layering of spaghetti then the remaining half of ricotta cheese and mozzarella.
• Finally add final layer of spaghetti then top with shredded cheese.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is bubbly and delicious. Cool for 10-15 minutes, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Notes

How to store & reheat baked spaghetti

Cool the spaghetti casserole down to room temp then store in an airtight container.

Reheat a single portion in the microwave or you can reheat the casserole dish in the oven until hot and bubbly again (about 15-25 minutes at 350°F).

How long will baked spaghetti last in the fridge?

It should last up to 3-4 days.

Can I freeze spaghetti casserole?

For sure boos. You can freeze spaghetti bake before or after you cook it up. Just wrap super tightly in plastic wrap then in foil and freeze. Add the date. It should last up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 826mg | Potassium: 673mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 642IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 3mg

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This post was originally published in September 2019. It has been updated with some new images and content.

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