If a bowl of cheesy pasta is your idea of the perfect dinner, this is the recipe for you. Take everything you love about twirling up forkfuls of spaghetti and layer it with a rich meat sauce and plenty of cheese. The result is a rich, gooey spaghetti casserole that looks (and tastes!) like lasagna but is so much easier to make.
Thanks to shortcuts, like bottled marinara sauce, you can have the whole thing in the oven with just 20 minutes of prep time. Serve million dollar spaghetti warm from the oven with homemade garlic bread and a fresh green salad, and you're sure to feel like a million bucks. This is the casserole your dinner rotation has been missing.
What Is Million Dollar Spaghetti?
Million dollar spaghetti is a pasta casserole made with layers of spaghetti, a meaty tomato sauce, and a creamy cottage cheese mixture. Think of it like lasagna but with spaghetti noodles instead of pasta sheets. The final dish is cheesy and rich, and worthy of its name.
Ingredients for Million Dollar Spaghetti
As expensive as this dish sounds, a few key pantry staples and inexpensive ingredients make million dollar spaghetti one of our favorite cheap dinner ideas. Chances are you may have just about everything you need on hand already. To make this dish, you'll need:
- Meat: Our Test Kitchen used a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage. You can vary the heat depending on the Italian sausage used. We liked the spice level using hot Italian sausage. You can also use all ground beef or all sausage if you prefer.
- Sauce: Choose your favorite marinara sauce—any brand will work!
- Noodles: Spaghetti noodles give this casserole recipe its signature texture but you can swap in angel hair, linguine, or any other long thin noodles you have on hand. Simply cook the pasta to al dente and continue with the recipe as written.
- Cheese: If you'd prefer you can substitute ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese in this recipe. We also added cream cheese for a rich, creamy texture, sour cream for tanginess, shredded mozzarella for a classic melty, cheesy topping, and Parmesan for a nutty, umami-rich flavor.
- Seasonings: We amped up the flavor of the spaghetti with onion and garlic for a savory depth, Italian seasoning for an earthy, aromatic flavor, and fresh parsley for a bright addition.
Can I Make Million Dollar Spaghetti Ahead?
Million dollar spaghetti can be made in advance to get ahead of a busy week. To make it ahead, assemble the dish as directed through Step 7. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
When ready to serve, let the casserole stand at room temperature while the oven preheats. Bake as directed, adding a few minutes to the baking time if needed, and tenting the dish with foil to prevent excess browning.
Ingredients
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Nonstick cooking spray
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1 lb. dried spaghetti
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2 (24-oz.) jars spaghetti sauce
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1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
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8 oz. lean ground beef
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1 cup chopped onion
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4 cloves garlic, minced
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2 tsp. Italian seasoning
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8 oz. cream cheese, softened
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8 oz. cottage cheese
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1/4 cup sour cream
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3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
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Chopped fresh parsley
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Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
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Make Spaghetti
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 3-qt. baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add 1 jar spaghetti sauce and stir to combine; set aside.
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Brown Ground Beef
In an extra-large skillet cook sausage, ground beef, and onion over medium until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Drain fat.
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Make Sauce
Stir in garlic and 1 tsp. of the Italian seasoning; cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 jar spaghetti sauce.
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Make Cheese Mixture
In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and remaining 1 tsp. Italian seasoning; set aside.
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Assemble
Add half of the spaghetti mixture to the prepared dish and top with the cottage cheese mixture.
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Layer on Sauce
Top with the remaining spaghetti mixture. Spoon meat sauce mixture over the top and spread to an even layer.
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Add Cheese
Top with remaining 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
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Bake and Serve
Bake until heated through and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe Variations
To change up this pasta casserole, consider these variations:
- Pasta: While we love this dish with spaghetti, there's no rule about what pasta shape to use. If you have a different type on hand that your family loves, feel free to sub it in.
- Protein: Swap the ground beef or sausage with ground turkey or other ground meats as desired. You can also skip the meat, if needed, and opt to bulk up the dish with veggies instead.
- Veggies: Give the casserole a nutrient-rich boost with sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, kale, broccoli florets, or other favorite vegetables.
- Cottage cheese: While cottage cheese is an easy item to grab from the fridge, you can also use ricotta in its place.
- Herbs: Complement the Italian seasoning with fresh basil.
- Heat: Add a touch of heat with red pepper flakes, or choose a spicy sausage variety.
Can I Freeze Million Dollar Spaghetti?
Whether baked or unbaked, this casserole can be frozen in advance, or as a way to store leftovers. To freeze the unbaked dish, assemble as directed through Step 7. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let stand at room temperature while the oven preheats, and bake as directed.
You can also freeze the baked lasagna, whether whole or in slices. for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bring to room temperature, and reheat, covered with foil, in a preheated 350°F oven until hot throughout. You can also heat small portions in the microwave.
How To Store and Reheat Leftover Million Dollar Spaghetti
To store leftovers of this casserole, wrap and refrigerate for up to four days, or freeze for up to two months, ideally wrapped in individual portions for quick thawing.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Heat, covered with foil, in a preheated 350°F oven until hot throughout. You can also reheat small portions in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
467 | Calories |
28g | Fat |
29g | Carbs |
25g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings Per Recipe 12 | |
Calories 466.7 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat 27.6g | 35% |
Saturated Fat 12.2g | 61% |
Cholesterol 80.4mg | 27% |
Sodium 1160.3mg | 50% |
Total Carbohydrate 28.7g | 10% |
Dietary Fiber 3.2g | 12% |
Total Sugars 10.3g | |
Protein 25.3g | 51% |
Vitamin D 0.5mcg | 2% |
Vitamin C 4.3mg | 5% |
Calcium 253mg | 19% |
Iron 2.8mg | 16% |
Potassium 769.1mg | 16% |
Fatty acids, total trans 0.3g | |
Vitamin D 19.5IU | |
Alanine 1.1g | |
Arginine 1.3g | |
Ash 4.9g | |
Aspartic acid 1.9g | |
Caffeine 0mg | |
Carotene, alpha 0.2mcg | |
Choline, total 81.3mg | |
Copper, Cu 0.2mg | |
Cystine 0.2g | |
Energy 1953.1kJ | |
Fluoride, F 24.7mcg | |
Folate, total 70.6mcg | |
Glutamic acid 4.6g | |
Glycine 1.1g | |
Histidine 0.7g | |
Isoleucine 1.1g | |
Leucine 2g | |
Lysine 1.8g | |
Methionine 0.6g | |
Magnesium, Mg 56.9mg | |
Manganese, Mn 0.4mg | |
Niacin 9.2mg | |
Phosphorus, P 364.6mg | |
Pantothenic acid 0.7mg | |
Phenylalanine 1g | |
Phytosterols 3.6mg | |
Proline 1.8g | |
Retinol 129.9mcg | |
Selenium, Se 33.6mcg | |
Serine 1.1g | |
Starch 9.6g | |
Theobromine 0mg | |
Threonine 1g | |
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 3.6mg | |
Tryptophan 0.2g | |
Tyrosine 0.9g | |
Valine 1.2g | |
Vitamin A, IU 1310.9IU | |
Vitamin A, RAE 174.3mcg | |
Vitamin B-12 1.4mcg | |
Vitamin B-6 0.5mg | |
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 27mcg | |
Water 224g | |
Zinc, Zn 3.7mg |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.