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Baked Spaghetti is a family favorite recipe that every household should have in their dinner rotation  A flavorful meat sauce and spaghetti topped with plenty of cheese baked in the oven until hot and bubbly.

We love serving pasta for dinner, complete with an Italian salad and garlic cheese bread. It’s the world’s best meal!

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Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Who doesn’t love spaghetti night? Traditional spaghetti and meatballs have always been a staple in our house, that was up until I started making this amazing baked spaghetti recipe instead! 

Making a big batch of spaghetti, and enough hand-rolled meatballs to feed more than just a few mouths, becomes way too time-consuming, which is why this baked spaghetti is your perfect solution for serving spaghetti to a crowd. 

It has all the same great flavors and components of traditional spaghetti recipes, with half of the hassle and time spent in the kitchen.

large serving spoonful of baked spaghetti

Is Baked Spaghetti Different Than Regular Spaghetti?

Yes, this baked spaghetti recipe is a little different than your average spaghetti recipe cooked on the stove. The main differentiating factor the egg mixture used in this baked spaghetti recipe. 

You might be thinking, “why on earth would I put eggs in my spaghetti??”, but just trust me on this one. You do not taste the eggs, or even notice they are present at all. 

The egg mixture is simply included because the eggs help bind the noodles in place so you can easily cut and serve even rectangles without them falling apart. This means you don’t want to exclude this step unless you want a spaghetti casserole that doesn’t stay together.

baked spaghetti how to photo collage

How To Make The Perfect Baked Spaghetti

(full printable recipe at the end of this post)

Making this baked spaghetti is even easier than making your traditional spaghetti recipe. All you have to do is follow a few simple instructions. 

First, preheat the oven, and grease your baking dish. Next, you will brown the ground beef in a skillet, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat until the meat is cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the excess grease, if any. Add pasta sauce to meat and set aside 

Place cooked spaghetti in a baking dish and sprinkle Parmesan evenly over the top.
to prepare the egg mixture, whisk the eggs, add cream, milk, garlic salt,  and combine in a small bowl. Once combined you will pour the egg mixture over the Parmesan and noodles then you will pour the meat sauce over the top. Spread evenly if needed, then sprinkle with mozzarella.

Last but not least, all that’s left to do is bake the spaghetti until cheese browns and sauce bubbles. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

baked spaghetti on a fork

Do I Have To Make This Baked Spaghetti With Ground Beef?

Not at all! This baked spaghetti recipe can easily be made to fit whatever your preferences are. To make vegetarian, just leave out the meat. If you’re just not a fan of ground beef, try substituting the beef for chicken, Italian sausage, tofu, or your favorite plant-based protein. 

What If I’m Out of Spaghetti Noodles?

No worries! If you’re all out of spaghetti noodle, just substitute with another long tin noodle, like linguine, angel hair, or bucatini. I have never made this recipe with a short noodle, so I suggest sticking with a long noddle when making substitutions. 

baked spaghetti in a casserole dish

Fix it and Freeze it: Tips for Make Ahead Baked Pasta Dishes 

Line a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with heavy-duty nonstick aluminum foil, allowing several inches of foil to extend over sides. Prepare recipe as directed in a foil-lined dish.

Freeze unbaked spaghetti pie (or any baked pasta dish) until firm. Remove from the baking dish by holding edges of foil; fold the foil over the pasta dish. Wrap in additional foil, making sure it is tightly sealed to keep out the air. Freeze up to 1 month.

The day before serving, remove the pasta dish from the freezer. Remove foil, and place lasagna in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Cover and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed. (Note: Pasta dish may also be baked frozen. Plan to double the baking times.)

 

baked spaghetti on a plate with salad

Make Every Night Pasta Night With These Recipes!

Easy Bacon Carbonara – This classic pasta dish, Bacon Carbonara is delicious, comforting and a great excuse to get everyone around the table!

One-Pot Lemon Artichoke Pasta – Features tender pasta layered with flavorful artichoke hearts, fresh spinach, and grated Parmesan with the most amazing, creamiest lemon sauce, made in less than 30 min!

Roasted Red Pepper Fettucini with Smoked Sausage – A sure way to win any pasta lovers heart! This dish is full of flavor and on the table in 20 minutes or less! A dinner the whole family will love!

Creamy Cajun Pasta with Smoked Sausage – Totally satisfying and packs a lot of flavor. It feels indulgent, but clocks in under 375 calories per serving, for a family-pleasing dish.

Three Cheese Mostaccioli – A wonderful cheesy pasta dish the whole family will be asking for again and again! It’s also a great dish to take to a pot-luck or new mom. 

 

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baked spaghetti casserole photo collage

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Tools Used To Make This Baked Spaghetti

Oblong Casserole Dish:  

Sometimes I want to switch things up from just a normal square or rectangle casserole dish, and this oblong one does just the trick! 

Non-stick skillet: 

When it comes to cookware, there’s nothing as essential as a good nonstick skillet. Anything you cook slide right out and it’s so easy to clean.  It’s by far my most used pan.

Spaghetti Server:

You can use any kind of serving spoon, but this special spaghetti serving spoon will help make sure not a single delicious ingredient is missing from your spoonful. 

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UPDATED APRIL 2020. We spiffed up this post with more info and better pictures! No changes to the original recipe.

Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Baked Spaghetti is a family favorite recipe that every household should have in their dinner rotation  A flavorful meat sauce and spaghetti topped with plenty of cheese baked in the oven until hot and bubbly.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 jar (26 ounces) pasta sauce
  • 8 ounces spaghetti, cooked al dente
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350° F, place rack in center of the oven and lightly coat a deep 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Brown ground beef in skillet, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat until the meat is cooked through 5-7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the excess grease, if any. Add pasta sauce to meat and set aside (no need to heat sauce).
  3. Place cooked spaghetti in a baking dish and sprinkle Parmesan evenly over the top.
  4. In a small bowl whisk eggs and add cream, milk, garlic salt, to combine.
  5. Pour egg mixture over the Parmesan and noodles.
  6. Pour meat sauce over the top and spread evenly if needed, then sprinkle with mozzarella.
  7. Bake 45-50 minutes until cheese browns and sauce bubbles. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

OPTIONS:

  • This can easily be made vegetarian, just leave out the meat.
  • Heavy cream and 2% milk could be replaced with 2 cups of whole milk.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 487mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 26g

Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used.

© TidyMom
Cuisine: American / Category: Main Dish
baked spaghetti in a white casserole dish