Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole

There's nothing more comforting than a good spaghetti casserole. Next time try this southern chicken spaghetti with Ro*tel!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love it
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🥫 Storage
• 🍽️ Serve with...
• 💭 Tips
• 👩‍🍳 FAQs
• Related recipes
• 📞 The last word
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

• Easy meal
• Takes just 30 minutes
• Simple recipe that's kid friendly and feeds a crowd

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 rich marinara, seasoned ground beef, and creamy cheeses... with a gooey cheese topping.

🧾 Ingredients

Use your favorite marinara sauce. I use homemade marinara sauce when I have time but store bought works just as well.

If you like Italian sausage you can substitute it for all or part of the ground beef.

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

Step one

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Cook spaghetti in a large pot with salted, boiling water to cover - cook it al dente - don't overcook!
3. Drain. Add 12 ounces (½ a jar) of marinara sauce to the cooked spaghetti (keeps it from sticking together) and set aside.

Step two

1. Add the diced onion and ground beef (or Italian sausage) to a large skillet.
2. Saute until beef is cooked and onion is almost translucent.
3. Add garlic and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning; cook for a minute or two more.
4. Drain grease from the pan.
5. Add half the sauce to the meat mixture and stir well. Set aside.

Step three

1. Heat the cream cheese in a medium bowl in the microwave until soft.
2. Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, ½ cup of the Mozzarella cheese, and softened cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning.
3. Blend until smooth and well mixed.

Step four

1. Place 8 slices of butter in the bottom of the 13x9-inch pan.
2. Cover with half the spaghetti.
3. Spoon the creamy mixture over the spaghetti and gently smooth into a layer.
4. Sprinkle 1-½ cups of Mozzarella on top of the cream cheese mixture.
5. Cover with the remaining spaghetti.
6. Add the hearty meat sauce in a smooth layer.
7. Add the remaining spaghetti sauce over the meat.
8. Cover with the remaining cheese.

Step five

1. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
2. 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.
3. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

🥫 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 when ready.

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 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.

• 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 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.

🍽️ 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.

And for dessert? You just can't go wrong with these easy brownies.

💭 Tips

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 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.
• 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.

Related recipes

• Sausage Alfredo Skillet is a quick, 15 minute creamy pasta dinner made with smoked sausage.
• Chicken Alfredo Ravioli is so easy to make - it's another busy weeknight dinner and takes just 15 minutes.
• Classic Green Bean Casserole Recipe is just like you remember with tender green beans in a creamy sauce. My recipe it topped with homemade crispy onions.
• Southern Pineapple Casserole Recipe is a holiday classic around here. It's most often served on Easter but it's delish any time of the year.
• Broccoli Ranch Casserole is creamy and delicious with a crunchy, butter Ritz cracker topping. Make it a main dish by adding cooked chicken.
• Taco Spaghetti is made in one pot in less than 30 minutes!

📞 The last word

Here's my experience...

• 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 properly (at all - it was still just strips of cheese) and 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!
• 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.

📖 Recipe

First published April 21, 2021. Last updated May 21,2021 to fix a few typos, spelling and grammar errors.