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Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe (Baked Spaghetti)

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This Million Dollar Spaghetti is rich and so delicious! Made with layers of noodles, ground beef, pasta sauce and 3 kinds of cheese. Ready in 1 hour.

Have you ever heard of or tried Million Dollar Spaghetti? This pasta casserole is creamy and so delicious. A simple recipe that can be on your dinner table in about 1 hour.

a baking dish with million dollar spaghetti. a spoon lifts out a square

What is Million Dollar Spaghetti?

After a lot of research I have no idea where this recipe originated from, yet there it is all over the internet, going viral on TikTok. So naturally I had to make it. But why is it called Million Dollar Spaghetti? It’s not because it costs an arm and a leg to make, in fact it’s quite budget friendly. It seems to be called Million Dollar Spaghetti because it’s so rich and decadent that you’ll feel like a million bucks when you eat it? That’s a bit of a stretch to be honest haha! It is delicious though, and I’m pretty sure if you love spaghetti and lasagna, then you’ll love this too!

About this recipe:

Million Dollar Spaghetti in the most simplest of terms is really just a spaghetti lasagna. It’s made with layers of cooked spaghetti noodles, a layer of cream cheese and cottage cheese, a layer of ground beef and pasta sauce, then a cheesy layer of mozzarella cheese, all baked in a casserole dish. It’s delicious.

an image of a baking dish with million dollar spaghetti

How to make Million Dollar Spaghetti:

Here is a simple visual on how to put together Million Dollar Spaghetti. Sometimes I find it useful to see pictures on how to layer the ingredients.

an image of a pot of boiling water with noodles. in the background is a skillet with cooking ground beef
Boil the spaghetti. Brown the beef.
a stand mixer with cream cheese in the bowl
Cream the cheese.
a top down image of a baking dish filled with spaghetti noodles
Toss the noodles with 1/2 cup sauce then layer 1/2 of the noodles into a 9 x 13 dish.
a top down image of a baking dish filled with unbaked million dollar spaghetti topped with a creamy cheese mixture
Spread on the creamy cheese mixture.
a top down image of a baking dish filled with spaghetti noodles
Add the remaining noodles.
a top down image of a baking dish filled with unbaked million dollar spaghetti topped with ground beef and tomato sauce
Add the ground beef/pasta sauce mixture.
a top down image of a baking dish filled with unbaked million dollar spaghetti topped with shredded mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle on the shredded cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes.
a top down image of a baking dish with million dollar spaghetti cut into squares

Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe Tips:

  • Creamy Cheese Mixture: This recipe calls for cream cheese and cottage cheese. You can substitute the cottage cheese with ricotta cheese.
  • Shredded Cheese: You can use really any type of cheese: mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey Jack. You can also add Parmesan cheese to the mixture.
  • Meat: I use ground beef. You can also use ground chicken, ground turkey or a mixture of ground meats including Italian sausage and ground pork.
  • Noodles: Use 1 pound spaghetti noodles.
  • Can I use different noodles? Well technically you can, but why would you? It wouldn’t be Million Dollar Spaghetti then would it? 😉
  • Sauce: Use your favourite jar of spaghetti sauce (marinara sauce).
  • Sauce Option: You can make a homemade layer of tomato meat sauce for this casserole. This is my favourite recipe (I use about 1/2 of it).
  • Leftovers: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just reheat in the microwave.
a baking dish with million dollar spaghetti. a spoon lifts out a square

FAQs about this recipe:

Yes! You can make it up to 1 day ahead. Just assemble and keep covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it.

Yes! Assemble, then cover tightly with foil and plastic wrap and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake it, remove the coverings and place in cold oven, then turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Bake from frozen for about 1 hour or more (maybe 1 hour, 15 minutes), until the casserole is browned and bubbly. Or you can thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake for 45 minutes.

a baking dish with million dollar spaghetti. two squares are removed and a spoon sits in the dish

What to serve with Million Dollar Spaghetti:

a top down image of a bowl of caesar salad with croutons. a gold fork rests in the salad
a baking dish with million dollar spaghetti. two squares are removed and a spoon sits in the dish
Print

Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe (Baked Spaghetti)

a baking dish with million dollar spaghetti. a spoon lifts out a square
Print Recipe
  • Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Oven

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 lb dried spaghetti noodles (454 grams)
  • 1 (650 mL) jar pasta sauce (separated: you will need 1/2 cup removed)
  • 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Generously grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with butter. Set aside.

Browning the beef:

  1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the minced onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
  2. When the beef is fully cooked drain any excess fat.
  3. Then stir in all of the pasta sauce EXCEPT about 1/2 cup which will get mixed in with the spaghetti noodles. Set aside.

Boiling the noodles:

  1. While the ground beef is browning, you can boil the spaghetti noodles.
  2. In a large pot with generously salted water, cook the noodles until they’re al dente.
  3. Once the noodles are cooked, drain, then stir the 1/2 cup of remaining pasta sauce.

Making the cheese mixture:

  1. Using a stand mixer cream together the cream cheese and cottage cheese until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Now it’s time to put it all together:

  1. To the prepared baking dish, add 1/2 of the noodles.
  2. Then spread on all of the cheese mixture.
  3. Layer on the remaining noodles.
  4. Spread on all of the meat mixture.
  5. Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes.
  7. Let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into it.
  8. Enjoy!

Keywords: million dollar spaghetti, baked spaghetti, spaghetti lasagna

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