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About This Recipe
This Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole is the ultimate comfort food. It combines layers of noodles, a hearty meat sauce, and an ooey, gooey, creamy cheese layer. It’s rich, cheesy, and the whole family will love it. The name might sound fancy, but I promise it’s made with affordable, simple ingredients and is super family-friendly.
What I love about this recipe is how versatile it is. It feels special enough for Sunday dinner, yet practical enough for a busy weeknight dinner. Plus, it’s freezer-friendly, great for leftovers, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser whether you’re feeding kids, guests, or just hungry adults. Serve with a simple salad and side of garlic bread for a true Italian feast.
If you’re looking for more easy recipes, try my Baked Ravioli Casserole, Cottage Cheese Lasagna, Healthy Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake, Super Easy Crockpot Taco Pasta or Bubble Up Pizza Casserole with Biscuits!
Why You’ll Love This Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe
- Classic comfort food: It’s the perfect cozy, satisfying dish for an easy dinner or feeding a hungry crowd.
- Great to make ahead: Ideal for busy weeknights, meal prep, or hosting—just assemble and bake when ready.
- Customizable: Swap the protein, cheese, or pasta to fit your taste or dietary needs.
- Freeze-friendly: A great freezer meal to keep on hand for future dinners or gifting to new parents or neighbors.
- Perfect for leftovers: Tastes even better the next day, making it an ideal choice for leftovers and packed lunches.
- Spaghetti pasta: I used a thin spaghetti pasta for this recipe. You can use any spaghetti noodle you prefer. Use whole wheat pasta, protein pasta, gluten-free pasta or chickpea pasta if preferred.
- Marinara Sauce: Use any marinara sauce or pasta sauce you love! Homemade marinara sauce or store-bought both work. I loved this marinara sauce from Target but use your favorite pasta sauce!
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt. However, if using salted butter just reduced the amount of additional salt or omit the salt completely.
- Ground beef: I used lean 93/7 ground beef. You can also sub for ground turkey, ground italian sausage or ground chicken if you prefer. If you’re using a higher fat beef, you may just need to drain the excess grease before adding the rest of the ingredients to ensure your pasta doesn’t turn out greasy.
- Onion and garlic: Finley diced or chopped yellow onion and fresh minced (or frozen) garlic.
- Spices: You’ll need Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
- Cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is softened so that it mixes well with the rest of the ingredients. I like to set mine out about 30 minutes before cooking. If you forget to set it out, an easy way to soften it is to add it to a bowl and microwave for 10 seconds or until soft.
- Cottage cheese: Try to find small curd cottage cheese. I love the Good Culture brand and love how it tastes in this recipe (not watery at all).
- Greek yogurt: You can also sub the plain greek yogurt for sour cream.
- Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheese. I highly recommend using freshly shredded cheese. I promise the few extra minutes are so worth it for the gooiest, meltiest cheese!
- Meat: Sub the ground beef for ground turkey, ground pork or ground chicken.
- Spinach: Mix in chopped spinach for some extra greens. You can also try kale, escarole or other cooked greens for the spinach. If using frozen spinach, make sure to drain the excess liquid first.
- Ricotta cheese: You can swap the cottage cheese for ricotta cheese in the cheese mixture if you prefer!
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt, add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
2. Drain, then place back in the pot with the butter and half the marinara sauce and toss together. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat, crumbling into small pieces as it browns, until no longer pink. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low.
4. Add the onions and garlic and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the onions are soft. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining marinara sauce and set aside.
5. If cream cheese isn’t soft enough to mix, add to a bowl and microwave for 10 seconds first. Combine the cream cheese with the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup grated parmesan and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. Stir with a spatula until combined.
6. Spread half of the pasta in a 9×13-inch dish. Spoon cheese layer on top and smooth into an even layer.
7. Top with the rest of the spaghetti noodles. Add meat sauce on top, smooth and press into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top.
8. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown along the edges. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot and enjoy!
- Store: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
- To freeze: Let the cooked spaghetti casserole cool completely. Then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
The Best Way To Freeze
The best way to freeze this Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole is to freeze after preparing but BEFORE cooking. This is ideal if you want to prep a few pans ahead of time to store for meal prep (see my postpartum meal prep guide for more great prep recipes for any season) or if you want to prepare them to bring to friends or family.
- To freeze before cooking: Prepare the dish as instructed. I recommend using a disposable pan for easy storage and clean up. Once assembled, wrap tightly with plastic wrap then add a layer of aluminum foil. Label casserole with name, date and reheating instructions (trust me you’ll thank yourself later for this extra step or especially if you’re taking to someone else). Place in freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Thaw the frozen million-dollar spaghetti casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until fully cooked through. If casserole is still cold when putting in the oven, you might need to extend the cooking time a little bit.
- You can bake this casserole from frozen but you will need to double the baking time. If you have time to thaw the dish, I highly recommend as that much cooking time can sometimes mess with the spaghetti but it will still work if you forget to pull it out in time.
Helpful Tips
- Use room temp cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is softened before mixing—it’ll blend much more easily with the sour cream and cottage cheese, creating that ultra-creamy layer the dish is known for. If you forget to pull your cream cheese out in time, you can add to a bowl and microwave for 10 seconds first.
- Don’t overcook the pasta: Boil your spaghetti just until al dente since it will continue cooking in the oven. Overcooked pasta can become mushy after baking.
- Use a deep casserole dish: This casserole can get pretty tall! Use a deep 9×13 baking dish or larger to prevent overflow in the oven. You can also place a baking sheet underneath your pan to catch any spillage.
- Let it rest: After baking, make sure to let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This helps the layers set and makes serving much easier.
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
Yes, this dish is great to prep in advance. You can assemble the casserole 1-2 days before and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before baking, or add extra bake time if cooking straight from the fridge.
Does this spaghetti casserole freeze well?
This Million Dollar Spaghetti freezes beautifully! I prefer to freeze it before baking for the best results. To freeze, prepare the casserole as instructed, then wrap it tightly in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
What kind of pasta should I use?
I used thin spaghetti but you can also use classic spaghetti or even angel hair. I would just recommend avoiding any thick pasta as it can throw off the layering.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 oz. thin spaghetti pasta
- 1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce divided
- 1 Tbsp butter (14g)
- 1 lb. ground beef I used 93/7
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 small yellow onion (130g) finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 oz. cream cheese softened
- 8 oz. small curd cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (60g)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan (40g) divided
- 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese divided
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt, add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, then place back in the pot with the butter and half the marinara sauce and toss together. Set aside.
- Make meat sauce: Meanwhile, cook the ground beef over medium heat, crumbling into fine pieces as it browns, until no longer pink. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Add the onions and garlic and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the onions are soft. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining marinara sauce and set aside.
- Make cheese layer: If cream cheese isn’t soft enough to mix, add to a bowl and microwave for 10 seconds first. Combine the cream cheese with the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup grated parmesan and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. Stir with a spatula until combined.
- Assemble: Spread half of the pasta in a 9×13-inch dish. Spoon cheese layer on top and smooth into an even layer. Top with remaining noodles. Add meat sauce on top, smooth and press into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top.
- Bake, for about 40-45 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown along the edges. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- Store: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
- To freeze: Let the cooked spaghetti casserole cool completely. Then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To freeze before cooking: Prepare the dish as instructed. I recommend using a disposable pan for easy storage and clean up. Once assembled, wrap tightly with plastic wrap then add a layer of aluminum foil. Label casserole with name, date and reheating instructions (trust me you’ll thank yourself later for this extra step or especially if you’re taking to someone else). Place in freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Thaw the frozen million-dollar spaghetti casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until fully cooked through. If casserole is still cold when putting in the oven, you might need to extend the cooking time a little bit.
- You can bake this casserole from frozen but you will need to double the baking time. If you have time to thaw the dish, I highly recommend as that much cooking time can sometimes mess with the spaghetti but it will still work if you forget to pull it out in time.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
