My Million Dollar Spaghetti is one of the most popular pasta dishes I make at home and one of the most popular recipes on this website! Why you ask? Well, simply put, it’s one of the most scrumptious pasta recipes! This dish is part spaghetti and part lasagna. With three different kinds of cheese, Italian sausage, and a half cup of butter. And that is the real reason this is called Million Dollar Spaghetti.
After you try this recipe, browse all of my delicious spaghetti recipes, and find even more favorites. ♥
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What I Love About Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe
- Even picky eaters will love it!
- Casserole = Make Ahead MAGIC
- Serious Ooey gooey comfort food
- Clean-up is a cinch.
- Makes a generous quantity
How To Make Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Cook spaghetti then toss with 3 cups marinara sauce.
- Cook the onions and garlic until soft then add the sausage and brown and crumble. Stir in the remaining marinara.
- Combine Cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Place half the sliced of butter in the baking dish. Spread half the spaghetti in the dish, then spread cheese mixture evenly over spaghetti. Top with the remaining butter slices. Spread remaining spaghetti over cheese mixture. Pour tomato meat sauce evenly over top layer of spaghetti. **See photos below
- Top with mozzarella and bake until bubbly.
Spaghetti Recipe Notes
Ingredient Notes
Does that say cottage cheese? Yes, it does. Before you dismiss this recipe, hear me out: cottage cheese is a mind-blowing ingredient that far too many people avoid, thinking their food will turn out tasting too “curdled.” That is not the case at all!
Cottage cheese adds a fabulous creamy texture to foods as well as hearty servings of protein. But if it still seems just too odd for you, ricotta cheese is a perfectly acceptable substitute! Use the same amount as the cottage cheese. As is traditional with pasta dishes, a healthy sprinkling of parmesan cheese is a great final touch to this dish.
Spice it up! The dried Italian seasonings and the sausage, as well as the extra spices you add to this dish, will give this casserole that zesty Italian kick — but try tossing in a handful of chopped fresh basil, if you have any on hand, especially as a finishing garnish.
Pre-cook your sausage! If the term “casserole” makes you think “add everything to a dish and bake it,” think again! There is some prep that must be done ahead of oven baking — such as fully cooking your Italian sausage.
Meat: I use Italian sausage in my recipe, and man, is it good. The extra flavor added by that sausage is simply outstanding, and really makes this recipe a true crowd-pleaser. If you or your audience are not particularly fond of sausage, you can absolutely use ground beef instead, but I don’t think the final flavor is as robust.
Storing Tips
Casseroles like this do fabulously when stored — just make sure you store it properly, in the fridge, in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze This?
Absolutely! Many casserole baking dishes come with their own attachable airtight lid. If yours doesn’t have one, simply spoon into any airtight container or resealable plastic bag, and store in your freezer for up to three months. Remember, frozen pasta will get softer, so there will be a textural change.
To Freezer Before Its Baked
- Assemble the recipe through step 5.
- Wrap the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap first, then aluminum foil. (Remember, plastic wrap sticks best to itself. Start with a long piece of plastic wrap that goes all the way around the baking dish.)
- Thaw the casserole overnight in the fridge.
- Bake it!
- Enjoy ♥
Make Ahead Tips
If there’s food more make-ahead friendly than casseroles, I don’t know it! This can be whipped up in a pinch by making the sauce (Step 3) and storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. When you’re ready to compile the full dish, simply make the remaining ingredients, mix in the sauce, and proceed, time saved!
It’s a great dish to prep the day before or early on the day of serving. Just assemble the dish, and refrigerate. It can last 24 hours without drying out. Just before dinner you can pull the dish out of the fridge and bake. I would strongly recommend that you let the pasta sit out on the counter for 30-40 minutes or so after pulling it out of the fridge.
***Do not put a cold glass or ceramic baking dish in a hot oven or it might break. I usually pull the pasta out and set it on the counter while I fix the garlic bread and salad.
If necessary, you can use two 8×8 baking pans. Sometimes I’ll bake one small pan and freeze the other for a later meal.
After baking, this casserole needs to sit for a little bit before cutting. I usually give it 10 full minutes of cooling before I dig into it with a knife or spatula.”)
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
This lasagna-spaghetti hybrid will retain its shape for up to four days in the fridge. Longer, and you risk bacteria growth, as well as soggy, inedible pasta. But! If eaten within the four-day window, it’s just as mouth-watering as it was the first day!
Recipe Variations
What Other Baked Spaghetti I Can Try?
If you were brave and tried the cottage cheese in your Million Dollar Spaghetti, then you no doubt have come to understand why unusual cheeses in baked spaghetti is a good idea. Feeling even more adventurous? Try out baked spaghetti with cream cheese for your next dish!
Can I Cook This Using Instant Pot?
One of the greatest culinary inventions for the time-pressed chef is the Instant Pot — so I am happy to report that Million Dollar Spaghetti is Instant Pot friendly! Instant Pot spaghetti is a dish made in dinner heaven. Want to take it further? Try Instant Pot spaghetti and meatballs for a quick twist on a traditional fave!
Can I Add A Mexican Twist?
¡Sí! Taco spaghetti is a tried and true favorite in my household. Merging Mexican seasonings with Spaghetti to create a Mexican Spaghetti hybrid is a path to deliciousness, and super quick and easy to make!
Million Dollar Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dried spaghetti noodles
- 1 cup (1 Medium) yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage casing removed
- 6 cups homemade marinara sauce,-divided or 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 8 ounces cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 3 cups mozzarella shredded-divided
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 cup butter cut into slices-divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of water, with 1 Tablespoon of salt, to a boil. Cook pasta according to the package. Drain well, then return pasta to original pot, and add 3 cups or 1 jar of prepared marinara sauce and combine. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onion and garlic and cook until they begin to soften about 5 minutes. Add sausage to skillet, and brown, crumbling sausage with a wooden spoon. Cook until there is no longer any pink in sausage. Drain well. Add the remaining 3 cups or 1 jar marinara sauce to skillet. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Place half the sliced of butter in the baking dish. Spread half the spaghetti in the dish, then spread cheese mixture evenly over spaghetti. Top with the remaining butter slices. Spread remaining spaghetti over cheese mixture. Pour tomato meat sauce evenly over top layer of spaghetti.
- Top with remaining mozzarella and bake in preheated oven until casserole is heated through, about 35-45 minutes.
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More Spaghetti Recipes
I don’t know about you, but once I take a culinary risk — like cottage cheese with pasta! — I’m hungry for more creative spaghetti dishes! Here are a few more to get your tummy rumbling and your mind whirling:
- Italian Spaghetti
- Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
- Crock Pot Spaghetti
- Spaghetti Casserole
- Spaghetti Pie
Conclusion
Though Million Dollar Spaghetti might not give you an actual million dollars, it’ll certainly make you feel rich — in the kind of ooey gooey comfort food that pulls every member of the family to the table!
Slice up hearty portions of this belly-filling lasagna-spaghetti hybrid and settle down into the warmth of a meal well served.
To freeze this, would it be better to freeze before or after baking?
Hi Betty. I freeze this before baking. 🙂
Made this! It was good except it tasted too cream cheesy! Would probably leave that out next time. I used the whole brick like the recipe called for and my boyfriend and I were both scraping it out of our slices. I tried baking it a bit longer to see if it would melt more but still tasted too thick.
This recipe is sooo good! My family loved it. My only question is about the sauce. In one of your comments you said you used Classico Tomato basal. Is this a canned marinara or spaghetti sauce?
Hi Aimee. So very happy you enjoyed! The manufacture calls their Classico Tomato Basil a “pasta sauce”. It is essentially a Marinara sauce but can be used as a spaghetti sauce. Wow, that sounds very confusing! Are you following me here though?
Hi I am getting ready to make this recipe. Just wondering if the butter is necessary in the recipe? Just wondering what purpose it serves? Thinking about making it without if it will still come out ok.
Hi Jamie! You can opt to try to omit it but I’m not sure how will that turn out. 😀 Butter adds a velvety taste to the recipe and helps reduce the acidic flavor of the marinara sauce (which has a lot of tomatoes in it!). It’s also used to grease the baking dish to prevent the baked spaghetti from sticking into it and make it easier to remove. Hope this helps!❤️
Very delicious. Mine was a little soupy but good. Followed recipe as written.
Hi Queen! Gosh, I can’t imagine what made it soupy. I’m so happy you liked it, though <3
This was absolutely delicious
Thank you, Wendy! 😀
I would have given this 5 stars except the directions for layering the dish were not clear. The photos for layering don’t match the instructions and the instructions themselves were a bit confusing on layering. Otherwise, this is a fantastic recipe! It was a huge hit for both kids and adults!
Than You for the great recipes!
Thanks Candace! ❤️ Enjoy cooking!
I love this Spaghetti. Its looks Tasty & yummy.
Thank you, Tiffini! Glad you think so. 😊 Hope you give this recipe a try!
My only issue with this recipe is the way the instructions are written out, I got all the ingredients correct but the order in which to assemble is a hard read since it flip flops back and fourth in the instructions and gets confusing. But at last I made it!
Can’t wait to try this! I always use cottage cheese in my lasagna because I live in an area that only gets a couple of national brands of ricotta. They always have a dry, grainy texture and no flavor to me. I’ve even made the “homemade” version with milk, cream and lemon juice. The cottage cheese definitely makes it creamier. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Donna! So happy you wanna try this! Let me know how it turns out 😊 Love using cottage cheese as well ❤️
Question
..isthe nutrition info per serving?
Hi, Carla, I just updated the nutrition facts per serving. Thank you, and I hope you like this recipe!
Super easy and delicious! I used ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese and I used ground beef and Italian sausage for my meat lovers!
Hi, EJ! Great tweak! Glad you like this 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Made it for a friend so I won’t get to try it. I also added too much sour cream (if there’s such a thing) so I hope it will still taste okay!
You’re very welcome, Mel!❤️
Absolutely amazing! My son loved it…didn’t tell him all of the ingredients. Perfect with homemade garlic toast. Definitely will make again
Thanks so much Bee! So glad your son loves it <3
The BOMB made it twice I tweeked it a lil bit but very very delish. My family loved it. They wanted more and more. I do not even have left overs grand kids and all. They do not want regular spaghetti anymore.I give you 5 stars plus. Thankful for the recipe……..
I’m so happy to hear that! My family is the same way now. No regular spaghetti only Million Dollar Spaghetti. LOL
I have made this twice now and it is a big hit every time, I use a larger casserole dish to make it in though because it makes to much for any 8×8 I have
Hi, Mary! Yay, so glad you like it! 🙂 <3
I have made this before and it is delicious. We are iced in and I don’t have any cottage or ricotta cheese. Can this be made without it and still be good?
Hi Janell! Well, to be honest, I don’t think it will have that delicious creaminess! <3
Wow! I made this just now and the amount is HUGE! I kept checking the recipe to make sure I had the right measurements. I had to put my 9×13 on a cookie sheet pan because I knew it was going bake over.
The recipe says for 6 servings, but it definitely is more like 16. Lol
Also prep time and cook times are a little different. Takes some time to make this crazy goodness!
Hi Arlene! So glad you liked the Million Dolar Spaghetti. I agree with you it’s Crazy Good! <3
Hi! I am planning on making this recipe for a large crowd tomorrow and just wanted to make sure that it is recommended to use 2- 24 oz sauce jars for recipe. Does it make it too saucy? Thanks
Hi Jen. I don’t think it’s over sauced at all. Hundreds of other people have made this and no one has commented that they thought it was too saucy. I hope you enjoy it!!
Hi Kathleen… just wondering what spaghetti sauce you used for this recipe
Hi Debbie I think I used “Classico-Tomato and Basil”
How would this be with zoodles and not spaghetti?
Hi Cindy! I love zoodles. I just worry about the water content of the zucchini noodles. I haven’t made Million Dollar Spaghetti with zoodles but I’m afraid the whole thing might come out on the watery side. Hope that helps.
Everyone loved this meal. I had to double the recipe for the amount of people and it was a bit of work. However, it was absolutely delicious!
Yay! So happy everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing! <3
Great recipe! A little bit of work but well worth it.
So glad you liked the Million Dollar Spaghetti, Jeremiah!
Can I freeze the portion that’s baked and didn’t get eaten? I baked the whole 9 x 13
And we have quite a bit left. I didn’t know if it would work to freeze the leftovers and reheat them later.
Hi Kathy. I do often. That said, the freeze makes the pasta a lot softer and some people don’t like it that way.
I found this recipe via pinterest. I was a little hesitant because I’m not a huge fan of cottage cheese, but I thought I would try it and I could always change it next time. It was AMAZING!!! It is our new favorite meal. My husband even requested it as our Christmas dinner last year.
We have family coming into town tonight. When I asked my husband what he thought I should make for dinner, he instantly said Million Dollar Spaghetti! Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe.
Oh, Ashley, you made my day!! I’m so happy that your family likes our Million Dollar Spaghetti and I really appreciate you sharing your experience with our community. I hope you give some of our other recipes a try and find some more family favorites <3
I made this and actually used plain yogurt, cream cheese and sour cream and goat cheese. Turned out great!!! Oh and cheddar cheese 😉
Sounds delicious, Kathleen! Thanks for sharing.
It turned out delicious. It was like making lasagna but i like this better. It even looked like your pics. I already shared the recipe with my sister. Thanks
Hi Miranda! So glad you enjoyed the Million Dollar Spaghetti. I’m thrilled to hear that your finished dish looked like the photos on the post. I always try to make the food look as realistic as possible so you know what your actually going to get when you make it! <3
I would like to make this tmrw night. What size dish would you recommend if I would like to halve the recipe?
TIA
Hi Rachel, I would recommend an 8×8 size dish, hope you enjoy this recipe!
I made it and it was a freaking hit so cool!
Yay! I am so happy you loved this recipe and thank you for sharing with us how this turned out for you!
I will cook this tonight, but I mainly want to thank you for taking the time for the detailed explanation. A lot of people without someone like family to teach them do not have that. I will be cooking this with my 12-year-old grandson. Thankss.
Thank you so much Sharon. I love hearing that you think its helpful. Sure hope you enjoy!
This looks amazing! How many people does this recipe feed usually?
Hi Amanda, 8-10 🙂
This looks so amazing! Your pictures are stunning! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Kelly! <3
Easy and so good! Ths
Thank you Sonja. I totally agree with you!