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This Baked Spaghetti Recipe is comfort food at its finest! Spaghetti gets tossed with a hearty meat sauce made with ground beef, Italian sausage, basil and Parmesan, then layered with melty cheese. Then it goes into the oven until bubbly with a golden cheesy crust. Every bite is rich, saucy, and full of flavor. Serve it with homemade garlic bread and a simple salad and call it a night!
For more family friendly baked pasta recipes, make my baked chicken alfredo and broccoli and baked gnocchi recipe next!
Baked spaghetti is one of those meals I could never get tired of. It’s cozy, cheesy, saucy, and just does something to my soul, okay? I’ve made so many versions over the years, but this recipe is the one everyone always begs me to make. And before you ask, this is baked spaghetti without ricotta – we save that for my baked ziti with ricotta recipe. I like my baked spaghetti extra saucy, loaded with meat, and layered with plenty of melty cheese instead. It’s hearty, full of flavor, and exactly what I want when I’m craving a no-fuss dinner everyone will devour.
Baked Spaghetti At A Glance
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🍝 Cook Time: 1 hour
- 🧑🍳 Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- 👪 Serves: About 10–12 servings
- 🍝 Made With: Spaghetti, ground beef, Italian sausage, marinara sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, onion, bell pepper, and celery
- 🍝 Why This Recipe is the Best: This baked spaghetti has everything I want in a cozy pasta dinner: a flavorful, meaty sauce, tender noodles coated in flavor, and plenty of gooey cheese in every bite. And no ricotta means the spaghetti stays saucy instead of getting weighed down – my kind of casserole!
- 🧀 Best For: Family dinners, Sunday supper, meal prep, and feeding a hungry crowd
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
(the full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe card)
- Ground beef and Italian sausage: This combo makes the sauce extra hearty and flavorful. I use 80/20 ground beef because we are absolutely not making dry baked spaghetti over here. You can replace the Italian sausage with another pound of ground beef. Just keep in mind that the sausage adds extra seasoning and flavor, so you may want to taste the sauce and adjust your seasonings as needed.
- Onion, green bell pepper, and celery: I’m bringing a little Cajun influence into the sauce with the holy trinity just like how I do with my chicken and sausage jambalaya. These cook down into the meat sauce and add so much savory flavor without making the sauce feel chunky.
- Marinara sauce: Use a marinara you genuinely like because it does a lot of the heavy lifting here. If you have a lil bit leftover, make my Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches next.
- Spaghetti: Cook until al dente. Remember, those noodles still have a baking date with the oven afterward.
- Parmesan and fresh basil: I toss both directly into the spaghetti so the flavor is worked into every single bite instead of just sitting on top.
- Mozzarella and cheddar: Mozzarella brings the cheese pull, cheddar brings the flavor. Together? Exactly what baked spaghetti needs.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 1: Build that meat sauce. Start by cooking the onion, bell pepper, and celery until softened, then add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Once everything is browned, drain off any excess grease and add the garlic and seasonings.
Step 2: Add marinara and simmer. Pour in the marinara, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar, then let everything simmer together while you move on to the pasta. While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in a separate pot of boiling salted water just until al dente.
Step 3: Get the spaghetti nice and saucy. Drain the pasta and add it straight into the meat sauce. Toss in the heavy cream, grated Parmesan, and fresh basil and mix until every noodle is coated. This is where the magic starts happening.
Step 4: Assemble the spaghetti in a baking dish. Mix the mozzarella and cheddar together, then add half of the spaghetti to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle on half the cheese, add the rest of the spaghetti, then finish with the remaining cheese. And yes, it should look like a lot of cheese. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before digging in.
Britney’s Pro Tips
- Cook pasta until al dente so it stays tender and doesn’t become mushy while baking.
- Drain excess grease. Once the beef and sausage are browned, drain off any excess fat before adding the seasonings so the finished dish doesn’t end up greasy.
- Season before adding the sauce. Add the garlic and dried seasonings after the meat is browned and drained, then cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant to bloom the seasonings.
- Coat every noodle. Toss the spaghetti thoroughly with the meat sauce, Parmesan, and basil so there are no dry pockets.
Make Ahead and Storage
Assemble the baked spaghetti up to one day ahead, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, remove it from the refrigerator while the oven preheats and add a few extra minutes to the baking time if needed.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Baked Spaghetti Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. This recipe doesn’t use ricotta or cottage cheese at all. Instead, Parmesan gets mixed directly into the spaghetti, and mozzarella and cheddar are layered throughout. You still get plenty of cheesy goodness without that creamy ricotta layer.
Two things: enough sauce and not overcooking the pasta. The spaghetti should look very saucy before it goes into the oven because the noodles will absorb some of that moisture while baking.
Yes. Assemble the whole thing, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake. Since it’ll be going into the oven cold, you may need to add a little extra baking time.
Usually it comes down to excess grease from the meat or a really thin marinara sauce. If the beef and sausage release a lot of fat, drain some of it before adding the sauce. Also, letting the sauce simmer for a few minutes helps everything thicken up.
For this recipe, yes. Cook it just until al dente, drain it, then toss it with the meat sauce before layering and baking.
More Cozy Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
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Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
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Slow Cooker Chicken Spaghetti
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Lasagna alla Bolognese (Christmas Lasagna)
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Marry Me Chicken Pasta
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Baked Spaghetti
Equipment
- Dutch Oven (or large pot)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 2 stalks Celery, diced
- 1 lb Ground Beef, I used 80/20
- 1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
- 4 cloves Garlic, diced
- 1 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 48 oz Marinara Sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 16 oz Spaghetti
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
- 3 tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped
- 3 cups Mozzarella, shredded
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place a large pot or dutch on the stove over medium heat. Allow the pan to warm for 3-4 minutes, then add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add diced yellow onion, green bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until just softened, then add ground beef and mild Italian sausage mash into crumbles with the bottom of a spatula. Cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. (Note: if your meat mixture is rendering a lot of grease, drain off the excess grease before adding the seasonings to prevent the finished dish from becoming oily) 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 Yellow Onion 1 Green Bell Pepper 2 stalks Celery 1 lb Ground Beef 1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
- While the meat is cooking, bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil.
- To the ground beef mixture, add diced fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, until the seasonings become fragrant, then add the marinara, worcestershire sauce, and sugar. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and allow the sauce to simmer while the pasta cooks. 4 cloves Garlic 1 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning 2 tsp Garlic Powder 2 tsp Onion Powder 2 tsp Kosher Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper 48 oz Marinara Sauce 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce 1 tbsp Sugar
- While the sauce is simmering, add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook until al dente according to package instructions. 16 oz Spaghetti
- Drain the pasta and add to the sauce mixture along with heavy cream, parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Stir together until the noodles are fully coated in the sauce. 1/4 cup Heavy Cream 1/2 cup Parmesan 3 tbsp Fresh Basil
- Mix together mozzarella and cheddar cheese in a bowl. 3 cups Mozzarella 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
- Add half of the spaghetti mixture to a 9×13 pan. Add half of the cheese, then cover with the remaining spaghetti. Use remaining cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted.
Video
Notes
- Cook pasta until al dente so it stays tender and doesn’t become mushy while baking.
- Drain excess grease. Once the beef and sausage are browned, drain off any excess fat before adding the seasonings so the finished dish doesn’t end up greasy.
- Season before adding the sauce. Add the garlic and dried seasonings after the meat is browned and drained, then cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant to bloom the seasonings.
- Coat every noodle. Toss the spaghetti thoroughly with the meat sauce, Parmesan, and basil so there are no dry pockets.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is so good, it doesn’t turn out dry or overly cheesy. The flavor is exceptional and I love that I already had all of the ingredients to make it. I’ll be keeping this recipe around for our family dinners, everyone loved it!