Baked Spaghetti Casserole is my family’s favorite comfort food. Layers of pasta, meat sauce, and a creamy cheesy mixture all baked together.
I am all about quick, easy dinners these days. I love anything that I can put in a casserole dish and forget about in the oven for 30 minutes or so.
This Baked Spaghetti Casserole is quick, easy, and so tasty! It has a thick and delicious sauce made with jarred pasta sauce, layers of cottage cheese (don’t question it – it adds a creaminess that you don’t get from cheese!), mozzarella cheese, and pasta tossed with butter and eggs to add even more richness.
It gets baked for about 40 minutes and then you’ve got dinner done! My kids LOVE this recipe and ask for it over and over.
Ingredients
Scroll down for ingredient amounts.
- Spaghetti – this is the ideal pasta shape for this baked pasta dish but if you have another shape on shape, go ahead and use it.
- Olive oil – use whatever oil you usually cook with
- Ground beef – you can also use ground turkey, chicken, or bison
- White onion
- Garlic
- Pasta sauce – you can use a jarred sauce like I did or your favorite homemade recipe
- Butter – this gets tossed with the hot pasta
- Parmesan cheese – you can’t have spaghetti without parmesan
- Eggs – this makes for such a rich pasta dish
- Cottage cheese – cottage cheese adds such a creaminess, almost like ricotta in a lasagna
- Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Cool pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Make sauce. Cook ground beef and diced onion. Add garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant. Stir jar of pasta sauce into the skillet; set aside.
- Make pasta mixture. Once pasta is done, strain and return to the pot it was cooked in. Add the butter and Parmesan cheese to the hot pasta and toss until the butter is melted.
- Add eggs. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs; pour eggs over the pasta and toss quickly until the eggs coat the pasta.
- Layer. Place half of the coated pasta in a 9×13-inch baking sheet.
- Continue layering. Top the pasta with half of the cottage cheese, half of the meat/sauce mixture, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Bake. Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes; remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Yes, you can make this Baked Spaghetti Casserole ahead. Do everything up until you bake it, let it cool down, and then cover it tightly and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. I would add an extra 5 – 10 minutes to the baking time though.
How Long Is Baked Spaghetti Good For?
This pasta casserole will be fine for 3 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh for as long as possible.
I find this pasta reheats best in the microwave but you can put it in the oven for a few minutes if you prefer.
What To Serve With Spaghetti Casserole?
I like to serve hearty pasta dishes like this one with a nice green salad. You could do roasted broccoli or asparagus as well.
I also like to do garlic bread with pasta, like my Cheesy Garlic Knots.
More Pasta Recipes
- Spicy Bacon Ranch Pasta
- Parmesan Pasta with Bacon and Peas
- Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta
- Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake
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Baked Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 (24-ounce) jar Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with oil.
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and diced onion; cook, breaking up the meat until it's cooked through and onion has softened. Drain excess fat if necessary.
Add garlic to the skillet and cook just 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Stir full jar of Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce into the skillet; set aside.
When pasta is done cooking, strain and return to the pot it was cooked in. Add butter and Parmesan cheese and toss until the heat from the pasta melts the butter.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs; pour into the pasta mixture, tossing it so the eggs coat the pasta. Place half of the coated pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish (9x13-inch baking sheet).
Top the pasta on the baking sheet with half of the cottage cheese, half of the meat/sauce mixture, and half of the mozzarella cheese.
Create a second layer with the remaining half of the ingredients.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes; remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.
Serve hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 318Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 413mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 23g
Sue dean says
How is this without cottage cheese
Gale says
Great, great and great!!! I make this all the time. I double it so I can put serving sizes in the freezer for my 93 year old parents!! They love it and to heat up is
easy for my Mom… That is always my goal. Thank you!! g
Beth says
Oh wow! This is perfect for dinner tonight! Pasta is always a great dinner and easy too. My family is going to devour this casserole!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This Baked Spaghetti Casserole is the ultimate comfort food!
Catalina says
Such a great idea for tonight dinner! Pasta is always a favorite in my house!
Claire says
I haven’t had this before and I am excited to give this a try!