This baked spaghetti recipe is one of my all-time favorite pasta recipes. I love how the trip through the oven transforms traditional spaghetti recipes into bubbly, cheesy deliciousness that you just can’t get with sauce spooned over noodles.
Baked spaghetti gives the sauce and pasta time to bond and some of the moisture to evaporate, resulting in a thick, rich pasta bake that will definitely have everyone asking for seconds!
I hope you try more of my spaghetti recipes soon! Make my Mexican spaghetti or taco spaghetti when you want a comforting pasta with a south of the border twist. If you’re craving chicken, try my chicken spaghetti. This is my quick, have it on the table in less than 30 minutes version. If you want another baked spaghetti, try my baked spaghetti with cream cheese next!
Let’s bake this!
What I Love About Baked Spaghetti Recipe
- Plenty to go around
- Super simple to make
- Creamy tomato sauce coats every noodle
- Lots of cheesy yumminess throughout
Baked Spaghetti Ingredients
- Spaghetti
- Ground Beef
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic
- Italian Sausage
- Onion
- Italian Seasoning
- Tomato and Basil Sauce/ Marinara Sauce
- Sour Cream
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan
Baked Spaghetti Notes + Tips
- Moisture: Make sure you allow your pasta plenty of time to drain. Toss it gently in the strainer to shake loose any trapped water. Excess moisture will make your pasta bake runny!
- Vegetarian version: If you want to make a meatless baked spaghetti, you can simply leave out the meat and decrease the amount of marinara sauce. You’ll want just enough sauce to coat the noodles. You can add veggies, but beware of the moisture they will bring. Some great options would be mushrooms, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Cooking the pasta: Use proper pasta cooking techniques when cooking the spaghetti. Be sure not to overcook it, or it will turn to mush when baked!
- Pasta: Since this is a spaghetti bake, the recipe calls for spaghetti, but you can use any kind of pasta you want!
- Marinara sauce: Use your favorite bottled sauce for extra convenience! I like to use a tomato basil flavor, but a four cheese or garlic marinara sauce would be good too! If you want to make a homemade, try my marinara sauce recipe.
Storing +Freezing + Make-Ahead
I love leftover spaghetti. It calls to me from the fridge, and I’ll confess- sometimes I don’t even bother warming it up! This baked spaghetti recipe is no different. Leftovers store best in a well-sealed container in the fridge to prevent it from drying out.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? You can store this baked spaghetti recipe in the fridge for 3-4 days. I suggest storing it in a glass container due to the tomato-based sauce. According to food handing guidelines, it can be frozen for 4-6 months.
- Can You Freeze This? This baked spaghetti recipe freezes beautifully. You can freeze it prior to baking or freeze the leftovers. If you’re freezing before baking, make sure you freeze in a freezer and oven safe baking dish. Allow it to warm up a bit on the counter before popping in the oven.
- If you’re cooking from frozen, it will take at least twice as long to bakeb
- Make-Ahead Tips: Baked spaghetti is a great make-ahead dish. Simply assemble according to the direction, but instead of putting it in the oven, wrap it well with cling wrap or a tight-fitting lid and put it in the fridge!
- When you’re ready for hot from the oven spaghetti, bake and serve. The baking time will be increased slightly if it is coming straight from the fridge.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti
- Cook the spaghetti just to al dente.
- Add the beef, salt, and pepper to a large skillet and brown. Add to dried out pasta pot.
- Brown the sausage. Add to pasta pot.
- Sauté onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Add to pasta pot.
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Pour the tomato basil sauce, sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, and parmesan into the pasta pot and fold until everything is evenly combined and all the pasta is well coated in sauce.
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Pour the pasta into baking dish and sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven until bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle top with parsley and serve.
More Fabulous Spaghetti Recipes
- Italian Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Chicken Spaghetti With Rotel
- Crack Chicken Spaghetti Bake
- Cacio e Pepe
- TikTok Spaghetti
Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 pound Italian Sausage
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 (24-ounce) jars tomato and basil sauce or marinara sauce
- 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
- 3 cups mozzarella shredded, divided
- 1 cup parmesan shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook the spaghetti (1 package) in well-salted water according to package instructions, just to al dente and drain well. Wipe out the pasta pot with paper towels and pour the well-drained pasta into the pot.
- Add the beef (1 pound), salt (1 teaspoon), and pepper (1/2 teaspoon) to a large skillet and brown, breaking it up into medium chunks until there is no longer any pink. Drain excess fat. Pour beef into the pasta pot.
- In the same skillet, brown the sausage (1 pound), breaking it up into medium chunks, until cooked through. Pour the sausage into the pasta pot. Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet. If there are not 2 tablespoons of fat, add vegetable oil.
- Add the onion (1 1/2 cups), garlic (1 tablespoon), and Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon) to the skillet and saute on medium-low until the onions are translucent. Pour into the pasta pot.
- Pour the tomato basil sauce (2 jars), sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, and parmesan (1 cup) into the pasta pot and fold until everything is evenly combined and all the pasta is well coated in sauce.
- Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven until bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle top with parsley and serve.
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Notes
- Moisture: Make sure you allow your pasta plenty of time to drain. Toss it gently in the strainer to shake loose any trapped water. Excess moisture will make your pasta bake runny!
- Vegetarian version: If you want to make a meatless baked spaghetti, you can simply leave out the meat and decrease the amount of marinara sauce. You’ll want just enough sauce to coat the noodles. You can add veggies, but beware of the moisture they will bring. Some great options would be mushrooms, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Cooking the pasta: Use proper pasta cooking techniques when cooking the spaghetti. Be sure not to overcook it, or it will turn to mush when baked!
- Pasta: Since this is a spaghetti bake, the recipe calls for spaghetti, but you can use any kind of pasta you want!
- Marinara sauce: Use your favorite bottled sauce for extra convenience! I like to use a tomato basil flavor, but a four cheese or garlic marinara sauce would be good too! If you want to make a homemade, try my marinara sauce recipe.
We are having this for a second time in 2 weeks. This time my husband (54)years is making it because I have Covid. It is really good and I love that we have so much my adult children and their familys can have and love it too. Thank you and keep the casseroles coming. I love casseroles.
Hi, Cindy! Feel better the soonest! <3
I'm glad this spaghetti is a hit! Thank you so much for your positive feedback
I just made this and I can’t wait for dinner. I had to taste it and WOW it was so good. I have enough so my children and their families will enjoy this. Thank you so much. I love casseroles.
Thank you Cindy! So happy you enjoyed this spaghetti!!
Best Hot dish that I’ve made in a long,
long time. Will make this one all the time.
I cut it in half and we still have enough for four
more servings. Not only delicious but very filling.
Thanks so much, B! So happy you like the baked spaghetti <3