Baked Spaghetti Casserole

This post has been sponsored by Prego®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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 Prego® Traditional Italian 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

• 16 ounces spaghetti
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef – you can also use ground turkey, chicken, or bison
• 1 small white onion
• 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

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions
2. 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; draining excess fat if necessary
3. Add garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, just 30 seconds or so
4. Stir full jar of Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce into the skillet; set aside
5. Once pasta is done, strain and return to the pot it was cooked in
6. Add the butter and Parmesan cheese to the hot pasta and toss until the butter is melted
7. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs; pour eggs over the pasta and toss quickly until the eggs coat the pasta
8. Place half of the coated pasta in a 9×13-inch baking sheet, spreading it out to all the sides
9. 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
10. Create a second layer with the remaining half of the ingredients
11. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes; remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes

The Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce works so well in this recipe! You want a nice, thick sauce and Prego is exactly that. It’s also made with sweet, vine-ripened tomatoes and savory Italian seasoning, which means it is super delicious.

I grabbed mine at my favorite Tom Thumb store. It’s with the dry pastas and other pasta sauces. I’ve loved Tom Thumb for years (they just have everything I could ever want!) but now that they have an app where I can check for deals and coupons and even make my shopping list, I love it even more.

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 Spaghetti Casserole 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.

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.