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million dollar spaghetti in a white baking dish with molten melted mozzarella and a scooped corner showing the creamy layers
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Million Dollar Spaghetti

Layers of buttery spaghetti, a rich beef and Italian sausage marinara, and a creamy three-cheese filling baked under a blanket of melted mozzarella. It tastes like a million bucks and costs about ten.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked spaghetti casserole, cream cheese spaghetti, million dollar spaghetti
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 545kcal
Author Sarah Mitchell

Ingredients

For the meat sauce

  • 1 lb ground beef 85/15
  • 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage mild or hot
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 24 oz marinara sauce 1 jar, divided

For the creamy layer

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup cottage cheese or whole milk ricotta
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

For the pasta and topping

  • 16 oz spaghetti
  • 4 tbsp butter cut into pieces
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese about 8 oz
  • 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley optional, for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  • Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat into crumbles, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the onion and cook until it softens, 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and cook one minute more. Drain off the grease.
    ground beef and Italian sausage browning with onion and garlic in a black cast iron skillet
  • Set aside 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce, then stir the rest into the meat. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer while you cook the pasta.
  • Cook the spaghetti in well salted water 1 to 2 minutes short of al dente. Drain and toss it right away with the butter and the reserved 1/2 cup of marinara so the noodles stay loose.
  • Stir the cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream together until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine, they melt in the oven.
  • Spread half the spaghetti in the baking dish. Spread the cheese mixture over the noodles in an even layer, then cover it with the rest of the spaghetti.
    creamy cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream layer being spread over spaghetti noodles in a white baking dish
  • Spoon the meat sauce over the top and spread it to the edges so every bite gets sauce.
    meat sauce being spooned over a layer of spaghetti noodles in a white casserole dish
  • Scatter the mozzarella and parmesan evenly over the sauce.
    shredded mozzarella and parmesan sprinkled over million dollar spaghetti before baking
  • Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling. If the top browns before the center is hot, tent it loosely with foil.
  • Let the casserole rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
    a square serving of million dollar spaghetti on a cream plate with a molten creamy cheese layer and a cheese pull

Notes

Cottage cheese: whole milk ricotta swaps in 1:1 if you prefer it. Small curd cottage cheese melts into the layer and disappears completely, so do not skip it just because you do not like the texture on its own.
Make ahead: assemble the whole casserole up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time when it goes in cold.
Freezer: freeze it assembled but unbaked for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for another 20 to 25.
The rest is not optional. Straight out of the oven the layers slide apart. After 15 minutes it cuts into clean squares.