This Cheesy Spaghetti Bake is filled with pasta, gooey mozzarella cheese, and an easy spaghetti meat sauce. You can use spaghetti, thin spaghetti, or angel hair pasta for this dish. You can also substitute the ground beef with ground chicken or turkey.
Also known as Million Dollar Pasta Bake, this easy, comfort food recipe makes a great lunch, dinner, or romantic date night meal for two.
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How to make Million Dollar Pasta Bake
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
At the same time, dice the onion into small pieces.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the olive oil and onions until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef and 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle in the salt and pepper, to taste.
Stir in the cooked spaghetti.
In a small bowl, mix the egg, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.
Add the mixture to the pan with the meat sauce, stirring quickly to combine.
Spray two 18.6-ounce oven-safe baking dishes with non-stick spray.
Spread the pasta and meat sauce mixture into the baking dishes, divided evenly.
Top with 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, divided evenly
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella on top, divided evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Serve the warm baking dishes on top of cork trivets to protect surfaces from heat.
You may also enjoy
- Chicken Rotel Spaghetti
- Authentic Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Chicken Florentine Lasagna
- Individual Lasagna
Cheesy Spaghetti Bake
Ingredients
- 4 ounces spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ small onion
- ½ pound ground beef (or ground chicken, ground turkey)
- ¾ cup spaghetti sauce (divided use)
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella (divided use)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
- At the same time, dice the onion into small pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the olive oil and onions until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Cook and stir about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in the cooked spaghetti.
- In a small bowl, mix the egg, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.
- Add the mixture to the pan with the meat sauce, stirring quickly to combine.
- Spray two 18.6 ounce oven safe baking dishes with non-stick spray.
- Spread the pasta and meat sauce mixture into the baking dishes, divided evenly.
- Top with 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, divided evenly
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella on top, divided evenly.
- Bake 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.
- Serve the warm baking dishes on top of cork trivets to protect surfaces from heat.
Video
Nutrition
Hi and welcome. I’m Zona and I have a passion for recipes. I share recipes, tips, tricks, and resources to help you cook for two. Eat, drink, and enjoy!
Helen
Friday 16th of August 2024
Excellent. Easy to prepare. Not too many leftovers. Used a small amount of Italian seasoning when cooking the ground beef. Italian sausage would be good too.
Nancy Fish
Friday 20th of January 2023
I want to prepare the "Cheesy Spaghetti Bake" recipe for dinner tonight.. May I freeze one of the casserole dishes for a later day? Thank You. Nancy
Zona
Wednesday 25th of January 2023
Yes you can freeze this casserole. Then thaw it in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
Sheryl
Thursday 11th of March 2021
Hi, Did you change this recipe? I made this about a month ago and it didn’t call for spaghetti sauce, but tomato sauce along with some other changes. Is there a way for me to access the original recipe. We loved it. Thank you
Sheryl
Thursday 11th of March 2021
@Zona, thank you so much! We will be making this tonight!
Zona
Thursday 11th of March 2021
Hi Sheryl, I did update this recipe recently. To make it the original way is only slightly different. Prepare 4 oz spaghetti pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water. At the same time, dice 1/3 of a small onion into small pieces. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and stir 1 tablespoon olive oil and the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Pour in the reserved pasta water and the cooked spaghetti. Stir well to combine. Sprinkle in salt and pepper, to taste. In a small bowl, mix 1 egg, 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella. Add the mixture to the pan with the meat sauce, stirring quickly to combine. Spray two 18.6 ounce oven safe baking dishes with non-stick spray. Spread the pasta and meat sauce mixture into the baking dishes, divided evenly. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup mozzarella on top, divided evenly. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Serve the warm baking dishes on top of cork trivets to protect surfaces from heat. Thanks for you comment and I'm glad you enjoy this recipe :)
S JAY
Wednesday 16th of December 2020
Does the cooking time change if you use 10 oz casseroles rather than 20 oz? All my casseroles and bowls are 8-10 oz.
Zona
Wednesday 16th of December 2020
Hi S JAY, I would keep the bake time the same but check during the last 5 minutes to make sure it isn't browning too much on top. Thanks for your question.
Nancy
Monday 26th of October 2020
Usually recipes I’ve made from this site are good but this one was very dry; it needed more sauce. Would not recommend this recipe as written.
Zona
Tuesday 27th of October 2020
Hi Nancy, yes this recipe is supposed to be thick like a casserole but I'm sorry you were disappointed. I will definitely do some more testing on this one. Thank you for the feedback.