Comfort food doesn’t get much better than baked spaghetti. This cheesy pasta casserole is easy to make, budget-friendly, and perfect for feeding a crowd or freezing for later. It combines all the flavors of traditional spaghetti with the cozy texture of a baked pasta dish. Whether it’s for a weeknight dinner, Sunday supper, or meal prep, this baked spaghetti recipe is a family favorite that’s hearty, delicious, and simple to put together!
If there is one recipe that I have become known for around my circle, it is my baked spaghetti. Friends and family all pretty well fell in love with it the first time I made it for them and I’ve made it whenever asked since. It is a special recipe for me and one that I keep solely for people that are special to me.
But, you are not me and I am not into gate keeping. So, here we are. This baked spaghetti recipe is both creamy, filling and fairly nutritious. It makes a metric ton which makes it great for freezing for later. Yes, it freezes really well so it’s perfect for once a month cooking or meal prep.
Why make baked spaghetti?
You have never baked your spaghetti, have you? When you make a baked spaghetti casserole, you take a regular, sometimes blah meal and create a rich, creamy casserole filled with cheese, garlic and Italian seasoning, ground beef, Italian sausage and veggies like onion and mushrooms that will fill your family up. Top it with a mozzarella cheese blend and you’ve got an amazing meal that stretches across days.
I actually do not like regular spaghetti. I don’t know why, but I don’t. But this recipe? I will tear it up. It really is that good.
What is the one ingredient that makes spaghetti sauce so much better?
Some people will disagree with me and you may be one of them, but you can make a jar meat sauce so much better by adding a little Velveeta cheese. Bring it to a low boil and simmer until the cheese is melted. Stir the melty goodness into the sauce and you’ve got a rich, creamy, cheesy marinara sauce that really will kick the recipe up a few notches.
How to keep baked spaghetti from drying out?
Leftover baked spaghetti can easily dry out. But, in this recipe, I have accounted for that and as long as you reheat it correctly, yours should not dry out anymore than mine does. First, the Velveeta does more than help the flavor of your sauce. It also gives it a creamy texture that helps keep it moisturized when eating it as leftovers.
Secondly, proper storage is important. Store it in an airtight food storage container in the fridge. Allow it to cool completely before storing it. If you’re freezing it, freeze it flat in freezer bags.
Finally, when reheating it, add a damp paper towel to the microwave. This will help bring any dry bits back to being soft.
I promise that this spaghetti recipe really is going to be the best one you’ve ever tried. It is rather labor intensive which is why I only make it for people who matter, but the labor is so worth it.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Baked Spaghetti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Angel hair pasta
- 1⁄2 C Parmesan cheese Shredded
- 2 lg Eggs
- ⅓ C. Whole Milk
- ½ C. Butter
- 1 lb ground beef browned and drained
- 1 lb Ground Italian Sausage browned and drained
- 3 Tbsp minced garlic seperated into (3) 1 Tbsp measurements
- 1 large Green Bell Pepper Chopped
- ½ White Onion Chopped
- 8 oz White Mushrooms
- 1.5 26 oz Pasta Sauce
- 1⁄2 C Hot water
- 2 C pizza cheese mozzarella and cheddar blend, shredded
- 1 C Velveeta cubed
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
- Add 3 Tbsp butter to skillet and sauté onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and 1 tbsp minced garlic over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning as well if desired.1/2 C. Butter, 3 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 large Green Bell Pepper, 1/2 White Onion, 8 oz White Mushrooms
- Once mushrooms are cooked and onion is translucent, add both meats and brown. Drain well. Do not rinse.1 lb ground beef, 1 lb Ground Italian Sausage
- In a large stockpot, set pasta water to boil. Cook pasta al dente.1 lb Angel hair pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, add pasta sauce to the meat mixture. Add hot water to the pasta sauce jar, shake well to get the last bit of sauce and add to the skillet. Simmer over low heat.1.5 26 oz Pasta Sauce, 1⁄2 C Hot water
- Add 1/2 Velveeta cheese cubes to sauce. Heat over medium/low heat until fully melted. Stir to combine.1 C Velveeta
- When pasta is done, drain in a colander. Rinse lightly.
- In pasta pot, on low heat, melt butter. Add parmesan cheese and stir gently until melted.1⁄2 C Parmesan cheese
- Add pasta to pan.
- Beat eggs with milk, add to pasta mixture and toss gently to coat pasta with butter/egg mixture. Stir in the remaining Velveeta and spices. Toss again to combine once fully melted.2 lg Eggs, 1/3 C. Whole Milk, 2 tsp Italian Seasoning, 2 tsp Onion Powder, 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- Add sauce mixture to the pasta pot. Toss to fully coat pasta with sauce/meat mixture.
- Press pasta into baking dish evenly. Top with shredded pizza cheese and extra Italian seasoning if desired.2 C pizza cheese
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let rest 10-minutes.
- Cut into squares and serve hot.
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