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If you love classic spaghetti but want something a little more comforting and crowd-friendly, baked spaghetti is the answer.

This oven-baked pasta dish layers tender spaghetti noodles with a rich meat sauce and plenty of melty cheese, creating a hearty meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights, potlucks, or family dinners.

The best part? Baked spaghetti is easy to customize with your favorite ingredients and tastes even better the next day.

I discovered this delicious casserole one day while searching for something new to cook. I knew after looking at the ingredients for this spaghetti bake, my family would fall in love with this great recipe as I did. My hubby said it was one of the best things he had ever eaten. It's a take on classic spaghetti but with a twist.

This dish tastes a lot like my homemade lasagna, but you use spaghetti noodles instead of lasagna noodles.

The ingredients are about the same – ground beef or Italian sausage, spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, Parmesan Cheese, mozzarella cheese, and an egg. Can you just taste the cheesy goodness already? If you are feeling frisky, why not add a block of cream cheese to this recipe as well?

Why You’ll Love This Baked Spaghetti Recipe

• Family-friendly – Even picky eaters love it
• Make-ahead friendly – Assemble earlier and bake when ready
• Freezer-friendly – Great for meal prep
• Comfort food classic – Warm, cheesy, and filling

How to Assemble This Dish

Start by browning your ground beef in a large skillet. Once you get your ground beef all browned and drained, add in your pasta sauce. You could add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning in this step to enhance the flavor. If you have time, try and make your own homemade spaghetti sauce using fresh tomatoes.

Set it aside and grab your other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add your egg, Parmesan cheese, and your butter (not pictured above). 

Take your spaghetti noodles and cook them al dente according to package directions in a large pot of water, and then drain. Put them over medium heat so that the water does not boil over. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

In another bowl, combine your ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, sour cream, and chopped parsley. This cheese mixture is just like the lasagna cheese mixture.

Set that aside.

Now it's time to assemble your Baked Spaghetti Casserole. Start by layering 1/3 of your spaghetti noodles into the bottom of a 9×13 pan or a casserole dish.

Now add a layer of the cheese mixture.

Now, add a layer of your meaty sauce mixture. Then top with ooey-gooey mozzarella cheese!

Repeat all the layers until you run out of ingredients. Then cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

At the end of 35 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes so the cheese can get nice and bubbly. The baking time can be a little more or less, depending on how browned you want the cheese.

Once it's done, serve this family favorite with crusty garlic bread and a Caesar salad for a delicious meal! I like to sprinkle a little black pepper at the end. There is just something about pasta and black pepper!

Store the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap. The leftovers the next day are amazing and make a great meal for lunchboxes or if you just need something quick to heat and eat.

Tips for the Best Baked Spaghetti

• Don’t overcook the pasta – It will continue cooking in the oven
• Use whole-milk ricotta for the creamiest texture
• Add veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, or spinach to the sauce
• Make it spicy with red pepper flakes or hot Italian sausage

Additions to this Easy Baked Spaghetti Recipe

You can spice up the flavor of this dish by adding some fresh basil to the top when you serve it to your family.

The next time you make this dish, switch out the ground beef for ground chicken or ground turkey for a lighter meal.

How to Store and Reheat

• Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days
• Freezer: Freeze baked or unbaked spaghetti for up to 3 months
• Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave or reheat covered in the oven at 325°F

Best Spaghetti Recipes

• Creamy Gochujang Noodles (Redo) from Magical Ingredients
• Eggplant Spaghetti Aglio e Olio from Palatable Pastime
• Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti from Creative Cynchronicity
• Linguine with Clam Sauce from Art of Natural Living
• Ricotta Pasta Frittata from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Spaghetti Pie from That Recipe

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