This baked Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe is a hearty, budget-friendly dinner that’s perfect for feeding a crowd. Layers of cooked spaghetti noodles combine with meat, marinara sauce, and plenty of cheese. Serve it on its own or with your favorite sides for an easy comfort food dish guaranteed to please!
Table of Contents
- Why We Love Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Can I Substitute the Cream Cheese?
- How to Make Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
- Make Ahead and Freezing Options
- Serving Suggestions
- Common Questions about Easy Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti
- More Family-Friendly Spaghetti Recipes
- Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe
Why We Love Million Dollar Spaghetti
Is there anything better than a plate of warm spaghetti after a long day? Seriously, it’s the ultimate comfort food we grew up loving as kids and still enjoy now that we’re grown! Plus, it’s super easy to make and always budget-friendly.
However, just when we thought traditional spaghetti couldn’t get any better, we discovered this million dollar spaghetti recipe. We fell in love with this dish from the first bite! Here are just a few reasons why we’re obsessed:
- Budget-friendly: The ingredient list is minimal. Plus, it’s full of low-cost pantry staples you probably already have on hand.
- Perfect for a crowd: This recipe makes A LOT of food.
- Great for meal prep: It’s easy to store and save for tasty meals throughout the week.
- Delicious: Named appropriately, this spaghetti variation truly does taste like it’s worth a million bucks!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredient list for this million dollar spaghetti recipe is short, sweet, and super cheap! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Spaghetti Noodles – Feel free to swap out the spaghetti noodles with any other pasta shape you have on hand. Just be sure to cook them to al dente as they will bake again.
- Flavor Enhancers – Fresh garlic cloves and Italian seasoning enhance the flavors of this dish for that classic spaghetti taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Oil – We prefer to use an extra light virgin olive oil to coat the noodles. However, you can use regular olive oil or even avocado oil if you prefer.
- Eggs – A good source of protein and fat, these help bind the ingredients to create a casserole consistency. This allows for easy slicing.
- Meat – We use ground beef, but ground turkey or even chicken will work, too. You can also use a combination of meats like ground beef and Italian sausage. Or, for a vegetarian recipe, you could omit it completely.
- Cheese – We use a combination of full-fat cream cheese (softened) and Mozzarella cheese. The savory flavor and gooey consistency make this million dollar spaghetti recipe to die for. For even more flavor, finish your
spaghetti with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, too! - Sour Cream – This adds a nice tang and creates a creamier filling.
- Marinara or
Spaghetti Sauce – To save time, we use a store-bought sauce. However, you could easily make your own.
Can I Substitute the Cream Cheese?
Yes, feel free to swap the cream cheese with cottage cheese, sour cream, or ricotta cheese. The taste and texture will change slightly, but it will still be tasty!
How to Make Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
This baked million dollar
- Toss the noodles. Add the noodles to a large bowl followed by the oil, garlic, egg, and dried herbs. Then, toss until everything is well combined.
- Create the meat sauce. Add the beef to a second bowl. Then, pour in the marinara sauce, and mix to combine.
- Layer. Spread half the noodle mixture in the bottom of a baking dish. Then, spread the sour cream on top followed by half the meat mixture. Scatter the cream cheese on top along with part of the mozzarella.
- Repeat. Continue to layer all the ingredients. Finish your million dollar
spaghetti casserole with a layer of mozzarella cheese mixture. - Bake. Transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven. Bake uncovered until the top cheese layer is golden brown on top and bubbly.
Make Ahead and Freezing Options
You’ve got several options to prepare this million dollar
- Make Ahead: Combine all the ingredients in a baking dish. Then, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge for up to 1 day. Then, when you’re ready to eat, just pop it in the oven, and dinner is ready to serve in minutes!
- Refrigerate: Bake your spaghetti as usual, and allow it to cool completely. Then, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- Freeze: Prepare your spaghetti, and cover it tightly with cling wrap followed by foil, or transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the freezer for up to two months. When you’re ready to eat, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat: To warm your million dollar spaghetti, heat it in the microwave or oven.
Serving Suggestions
Thanks to the yummy layers, this baked million dollar spaghetti is super filling on its own. However, for a well-rounded meal, we like to pair it with sides like:
Common Questions about Easy Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti
Baked spaghetti is similar to lasagna — it’s just easier to make. Instead of wide lasagna noodles, you use spaghetti noodles and you don’t have to spend the time layering it like you do with lasagna.
Yes, it is possible to overcook baked spaghetti. If the noodles are boiled too long before baking they may have an unpleasant texture. To avoid having them turn out mushy, be sure to pay close attention to how long they are boiled.
This baked spaghetti is perfect for a crowd! It’s an easy dish to make and it feeds plenty of hungry guests.
Absolutely! Just place individual portions in freezer-safe containers or tightly wrap them with plastic wrap before adding a layer of foil around them. Store for up to 2 months.
More Family-Friendly Spaghetti Recipes
Love
Million Dollar Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti noodles cooked al-dente and slightly cooled
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 Tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 pound lean ground beef cooked
- 16 ounces marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 6 ounces cream cheese cubed
- 3 cups Mozzarella cheese grated and divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, toss the noodles, olive oil, garlic, eggs, and dried herbs until everything is well combined.12 ounces spaghetti noodles, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 2 eggs, 1 Tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- In a second bowl, combine the ground beef and marinara sauce.1 pound lean ground beef, 16 ounces marinara sauce
- In an 11×7 baking dish, add half the noodle mixture. Then, spread the sour cream on top followed by half of the meat mixture. Scatter the cream cheese on top along with half of the mozzarella cheese. Continue layering with the remaining noodles, meat mixture, and mozzarella cheese.1/2 cup sour cream, 6 ounces cream cheese, 3 cups Mozzarella cheese
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
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No ingredient amount, no cooking time, nothing useful other than what goes in
Hi Mika,
You can find the complete details in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. 🙂
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
I added a little salt. Super tasty!
I shouldn’t rate it because I totally toyed with the recipe, but we loved it & I’m sure we’d love the original. I used soy chunks instead of ground beef, used a sloppy joe sauce instead of marinara, used a cheddar cheese mix instead of mozzarella, and like I always go when cooking cream cheese in something savory, I used garlic herb flavor. Cant wait to try the original.
Thank you, Lara! We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you and can’t wait to hear what you think of the original, too. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
My 15 year old son helped me make this and it was amazing! Even he liked it and he is the pickiest eater!
Definitely making this again!
Yay, that is awesome! So glad it was a hit!
This recipe is Fantastic!!
so glad to hear!
Does not fit into an 11×7 dish, you need a 9×13. I started to add the ingredients and sadly I did not pay attention and added all the cheesy stuff and then realized I could not fit the 2nd layers of spaghetti and meat.
This recipe was such a hit at home with my fam ! So incredibly easy to make AND you likely have the ingredients already in your kitchen. The pasta was so creamy, decadent and tasty ! I made mine with ground chicken but you can beef too. This will definitely be a staple meal for us especially in the cold Chicago winter. Thanks fooddolls !
Amazing! We are so glad everyone loved this recipe! xo, Alia & Radwa
Looks great. Can this be frozen for a day or two? Asking about “MILLION DOLLAR SPAGHETTI “
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Yes, you can freeze this recipe. Be sure to thaw it out in the refrigerator the night before!
What brand or type of spaghetti sauce did you use. I can not find one that taste good. My sauce is usually homemade. So I have a hard time finding a jar sauce that is good.
We have a couple favorites! Rao’s is amazing, as well as Delallo!
Raos is the best; whole foods/amazon has one that is the brand 365 (or something like that) and it’s VERY good and cheap too!