Baked Spaghetti Casserole
This spaghetti casserole brings all of your favorite pasta dinner ingredients in a one dish meal. You’ll make this recipe again and again.
Spaghetti has long been a family favorite meal that is enjoyed once a week in many homes. This cozy casserole brings all of the elements of a spaghetti dinner together in one baking dish. The cheese topping finishes the casserole perfectly.
Feel free to change up the homemade sauce with your family’s favorite ingredients. Replace the ground beef with ground turkey if you like to limit your red meat intake. Or add some sautéed mushrooms to the mixture and let the ground meat cook a bit longer. I used thin spaghetti in the dish, but it would be good with linguine or bucatini as well.
What You’ll Like About This Dish
Family favorite. Classic spaghetti flavor, all baked together in one warm, cheesy dish.
Make-ahead friendly. Prep it in advance and bake when you’re ready to eat.
Flexible and forgiving. Customize the sauce with your preferred meat or vegetables.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: Adds richness and heartiness to the sauce.
- Onion, garlic, and green bell pepper: Classic aromatic base for flavor and texture.
- Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce: A mix of texture and smoothness for the sauce.
- Bay leaf and herbs: Fresh parsley and basil add depth. Use dried if needed.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: Optional, but adds a touch of heat.
- Spaghetti: Thin spaghetti works well, but other long pastas are fine.
- Parmesan cheese: Stirred into the sauce and served at the table.
- Mozzarella cheese: Melts beautifully for a bubbly, cheesy topping.
Steps to Make Baked Spaghetti Casserole
- Heat the oven and spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Brown the beef in olive oil, then add onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, herbs, and seasonings. Simmer the sauce.
- Remove the bay leaf and add Parmesan to the sauce.
- Cook the spaghetti in salted water and drain well.
- Combine the spaghetti with the sauce and toss to coat.
- Spread in the prepared baking dish and top with mozzarella.
- Bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Serve with garlic bread and extra Parmesan.
Tips for Baked Spaghetti Casserole
- Use a mix of mozzarella and provolone for an extra cheesy topping.
- Add mushrooms or zucchini to the sauce for extra veggies.
- Use ground turkey or sausage if preferred—adjust seasoning as needed.
- Make it ahead and refrigerate before baking. Add 5 to 10 minutes to bake time.
Recipe Variations
- Ground turkey option. Substitute turkey to lighten it up or reduce red meat.
- Add mushrooms. Sautéed mushrooms add flavor and stretch the meat.
- Try sausage. Italian sausage adds extra flavor—mild or spicy.
- Use different pasta. Linguine, bucatini, or rotini can work in place of spaghetti.
- Spicy version. Add more crushed red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with garlic bread or garlic knots.
- Pair with a crisp Caesar salad or mixed greens.
- Add a glass of red wine or sparkling water with lemon.
- Garnish with fresh basil or parsley for color and freshness.
- Pass extra Parmesan at the table for topping.
How to Store
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or larger portions in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
Freeze: Freeze baked or unbaked casserole (wrapped well) for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking or reheating.
Reheat: Add a splash of water or tomato sauce when reheating to keep the pasta moist.
Here’s another quick Italian meal: sheet pan sausages with peppers. Or try this Neapolitan pasta with sausage.
Baked Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes, diced
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil, fresh, chopped or about 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 8 ounces spaghetti, uncooked
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375 F.
- Spray a shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking oil spray.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain and discard excess fat, if desired.
- To the browned beef, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until the onion is softened. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaf, parsley, basil, kosher salt, and black pepper, along with the crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir the Parmesan cheese into the sauce.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water following the package directions. Drain well.
- Combine the drained spaghetti with the sauce mixture and toss to blend thoroughly.
- Turn the spaghetti mixture into the prepared baking pan and the sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted.
- Serve the casserole with garlic bread and pass more Parmesan cheese at the table.
Nutrition
Disclaimer:
Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.
