Layers of spaghetti, creamy cheese, and a hearty meat sauce make this easy recipe picky eater friendly and a family favorite!
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Cheesy, hearty pasta casserole takes just 30 minutes and you can assemble it ahead of time.
- Great for busy weeknights. It's also perfect for casual get-togethers, and potlucks because it feeds a crowd.
- Be sure to use a block of cheese and shred it yourself. It will melt creamier and smoother.
There's nothing more comforting than a good spaghetti casserole.
Million-dollar spaghetti is a hearty, budget-friendly casserole that is a mash-up between a lasagna and a baked spaghetti recipe.
It's full of layers of spaghetti, rich marinara, seasoned ground beef, and creamy cheese... with a gooey cheese topping.
If you're looking for something with a bit more spice to it try this spicy chicken mac and cheese!
🧾 Ingredients
Use your favorite sauce. I use homemade marinara sauce when I have time but store bought works just as well.
If you like Italian sausage you can make this with a combination of ground beef and sausage. You can also substitute it for all the ground beef.
📖 Variations
- Use Italian sausage in place of half or all of the ground beef for extra flavor.
- You can substitute ground chicken, turkey, or game meat for the ground beef.
- Ricotta cheese can be substituted for cottage cheese.
- Provolone can be used as the top layer instead of Mozzarella.
- Add a little Parmesan cheese as well.
- Some people like it with Cheddar cheese on top.
- Add a sprinkle of crushed red peppers for a little more bite.
- Use any type of pasta that you like.
- Love cheese? Double the ingredients in the creamy filling.
Next time try this southern chicken spaghetti with Ro*tel!
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions for this million-dollar spaghetti recipe. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.
- Add the slices of butter to the casserole dish.
- Add half the cooked spaghetti.
- Top with cream cheese mixture.
- Add the mozzarella over the cheese layer.
- Top with spaghetti noodles then meat mixture.
- Add remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Put baking dish in the oven and bake.
🥫 Storage
This easy spaghetti bake should be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
You can even assemble it ahead of time and bake it when ready.
Freeze
You can freeze it before or after baking. Just cover tightly or place in an airtight container and freeze for up to four months.
Thaw and bake
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as instructed in the recipe.
If the dish has been in the refrigerator let it sit out on the counter for 30 minutes or so so the glass doesn't shatter with the quick temperature change when it goes in the oven.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: I like to break the spaghetti up into thirds before cooking. The smaller-sized noodles make it easier to cut and serve.
- This is a good dish for sneaking in vegetables if you have veggie-haters at your house. Chop them and add in with the hearty meat sauce mixture.
- Let the million-dollar spaghetti casserole sit for about 5-10 minutes after you remove it from the oven. This gives it a chance to solidify a little and it won't fall apart (much) when you cut into it to serve.
- Use lean ground beef. I like the 90/10 mix.
- For best results don't use low-fat cream cheese in this recipe.
- The recipe says to put part of the marinara sauce on the spaghetti. How much you add depends on your taste. If you like a real saucy spaghetti dish then add more. The sauce will not sink down and mix with the spaghetti so get it the way you like it before layering.
- This is one of my favorite meals for potlucks! It doesn't have to be steaming hot to be good AND it's easy to take with you. Plus it makes a ton. I've never brought any leftovers home - the dish is always clean.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
Well, because it tastes like a million dollars! It's a super rich casserole and I imagine that's where the name comes from.
Yes, you can. Make sure you freeze it in an aluminum baking pan so there's no concern for breakage. Cover with aluminum foil and bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 minutes longer, or until it is hot all the way through. I stick an Insta-read thermometer in the center. When it reads 165F it's done.
📚 Related recipes
- Chicken Alfredo Ravioli
- Bacon Pimento Mac & Cheese
- Best Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe...Ever
- Creamy Sausage Alfredo Skillet
🍽️ Serve with...
Million-dollar spaghetti is such a hearty casserole you don't need much else. I like to serve it with a salad and garlic bread or breadsticks.
If you take a look at what to serve with chicken spaghetti you'll find a lot of side dishes that will work with this million-dollar spaghetti, too.
And for dessert? You just can't go wrong with these easy brownies.
📞 The last word
My whole family loved this pasta dish.
I've learned a few things over the years that I've made it. For one thing, use block Mozzarella and shred it yourself.
I was in a hurry and grabbed a bag of shredded from Costco. It had so much cellulose stuff on it to keep it from sticking together that it didn't melt at all - it was still just strips of cheese. I had to have my son run to the store for a block of Mozzarella while I scraped it off and then added the real stuff.
It was frustrating so don't make this mistake!
Try this over the top Crack Chicken Spaghetti with Ranch seasoning, bacon and green onions, too!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Million Dollar Spaghetti Bake
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, sliced
- 2 pounds ground beef, lean
- ½ cup cottage cheese, or ricotta
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 3 cups Mozzarella, grated
- 1 cup onions, diced
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 pound spaghetti, broken into thirds
- 3 cloves garlic
- 48 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Cook spaghetti in salted, boiling water - don't overcook!
- Drain. Add 12 ounces (½ a jar) of marinara sauce to the spaghetti and set aside.
- Add onion and ground beef to pan.
- Saute until beef is cooked and onion is almost translucent.
- Add garlic, smoked paprika, and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning; cook for a minute or two more.
- Drain excess fat from pan.
- Add half the sauce to the meat mixture and stir well. Set aside.
- Heat the cream cheese in the microwave until soft.
- Mix ½ cup of the Mozzarella, sour cream, cottage cheese, and cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning.
- Blend until smooth and well mixed.
- Place 8 squares of butter in the bottom of the 13x9-inch pan.
- Cover with half the spaghetti.
- Spoon the cheese mixture over the spaghetti and gently smooth into a layer.
- Sprinkle with 1-½ cups of Mozzarella.
- Cover with the remaining spaghetti.
- Add the meat sauce in a smooth layer.
- Add the remaining sauce over the meat.
- Cover with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
- Check and if the cheese is getting too brown cover with aluminum foil and bake 10-15 more minutes - or until the center registers 165° on an insta-read thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- I like to break the spaghetti up into thirds before cooking. The smaller sized noodles make it easier to cut and serve.
- This is a good dish for sneaking in vegetables if you have veggie-haters at your house. Chop them and add in with the meat and sauce mixture.
- Let the million dollar spaghetti casserole sit for about 5-10 minutes after you remove it from the oven. This gives it a chance to solidify a little and it won't fall apart (much) when you cut into it to serve.
- Use a lean ground beef. I like the 90/10 mix.
- If the dish has been in the refrigerator let it sit out on the counter for 30 minutes or so so the glass doesn't shatter with the quick temperature change when it goes in the oven.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published April 21, 2021. Last updated September 20, 2023, for editorial corrections and improvements.
Camden Rusincovitch says
I can't wait to try out this million dollar spaghetti for dinner this weekend, it has my boyfriend and I love so I imagine it will be a huge hit!
Alyssa says
Million dollar spaghetti seems like the perfect weeknight meal! Spaghetti is a go to meal in my house, so I love that this adds a little twist to it!
Kristen says
My family is OBSESSED with million dollar dip, so I am pretty sure that this million dollar spaghetti recipe will be a hit! Can't wait to make it!
Cynthia Rusincovitch says
This is one of my kids' favorite meals but I had no idea it was called million dollar spaghetti!
Brittany says
I had never heard of million dollar spaghetti but who doesn't love lasagna AND spaghetti?! It looks like something my picky eater might even try.
Anna Grace Harmon says
I can't wait to make this!!! How much smoked paprika do you use?
Marye says
Half a teaspoon - I've fixed it in the recipe. 🙂
Julie says
Turned out great! Changed my rating to 5 stars!!! Thanks for the clarification on the process! 🤩
Julie says
I'm a little confused about your directions. #10 says to mix the Mozzarella, cottage cheese, and cream cheese with 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. #15 says to sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of the Mozzarella over the cheese mixture. #19 says cover with remaining cheese. Can you clarify those directions. Also, I don't see mention of the sour cream or cayenne in the directions and also wonder about the smoked paprika that's in the picture but not in the recipe. I think I will use a larger pan next time because the 9 X 13 was a bit small. Looking forward to dinner tonight but would appreciate it if you could clarify the directions for me. Thanks!
Marye says
The instructions are fixed. 1/2 cup of Mozzarella goes in with the cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese in #10. 1-1/2 cups get sprinkled over the cheese mixture. and the remaining 1 cup goes on top.