Cheesy Baked Spaghetti
This classic Cheesy Baked Spaghetti is a saucy dish topped with Mozzarella cheese. It’s great for potlucks and family gatherings, or and a favorite go-to weeknight meal. Made with cheese, ground beef, pork, or lamb, pasta and tomatoes, it’s tasty enough to bring the whole family together.
I love an easy recipe to pop in the oven for a weeknight meal! If you like a really saucy spaghetti, then you can double the sauce for this Cheesy Baked Spaghetti. So good, this spaghetti bake is a great dish to pull out of the oven, and serve with a salad and hot crunchy bread.
Cheesy Baked Spaghetti
This baked spaghetti is creamy, cheesy and beyond easy to whip up when you’re crunched for time. If you’re really in a pinch for time, you can skip making the homemade sauce, and buy Ragu or your favorite brand in the store. BUT … don’t skip out on the creamy cheeses!
Why I love this recipe
- Our favorite weeknight meal.
- Make ahead, then pop in the oven when you’re ready.
- You can use a variety of ground meat, like chicken, turkey, pork, or beef.
- Crowd pleaser! Everyone loves spaghetti.
Gather these ingredients
- Pasta, cooked el dente (slightly underdone)
- Olive oil
- Ground beef, pork, or lamb
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Tomato paste
- Dried oregano
- Dried thyme
- Dried marjoram
- Basil or parsley to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fesh ozzarella cheese log, (optional to use shredded mozzarella)
- Grated Parmesan
- Egg
- Ricotta cheese
How do you make Cheesy Baked Spaghetti?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large 9X13 (or similar sized) baking dish.
- Cook the pasta el dente (slightly undercooked) according to package directions.
- Cook the meat: In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium-high. When oil is hot, add in the ground beef and allow to brown. Salt and pepper, then after 4-5 minutes, add in the onion, garlic, marjoram, thyme, and oregano. Stir gently and allow meat to finish cooking and the onions to become tender—taste for additional seasoning. Stir for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Stir for 20 minutes and allow the sauce to reduce by about 1/3. Taste for seasoning.
- Make the cheese sauce: Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl (large enough to fit the cooked pasta), whisk together the eggs ricotta, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan. Add the pasta to the bowl and coat with the egg mixtures (use your hands or tongs!)
- Layer 1/3 of the pasta in the baking dish followed by 1/3 of the meat sauce, and 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Continue this layering until all ingredients are used. Finish the layering with mozarella and any additional grated cheese, like Parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, then remove foil and return to baking for 20-25 minutes more, or until top is golden and browned—you can also stick the dish under the broiler on low for a minute or two to speed up the browning.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Tips and substitutions:
- When making this dish, cook the pasta el dente (slightly underdone).
- Use your favorite pasta, but spaghetti is the best!
- You can skip making homemade sauce and use a jar and a half of Ragu (store-bought).
- Make ahead and keep in the fridge. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.
- If you can’t get the fresh Mozzarella slices (we buy at Costco), then you can add more grated Mozzarella cheese. But the fresh is sooooo amazing!
- You can always make it cheesier and add more cheese!
- Optional to add fresh herbs.
How do you serve Cheesy Baked Spaghetti?
Oh, we love this spaghetti served with a classic garlic bread and a side salad. Try our House Salad! You can also make garlic bread in the air fyer – so good. Serve with Chocolate Pudding Bundt Cake!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 3-4 days! It’s great as leftovers! ENJOY!
More spaghetti recipes you may want to try while you are here:
Get the Recipe:
CHEESY Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz package of pasta, cooked el dente (slightly underdone)
- ¼ c olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef, pork, or lamb
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 7 oz can tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried thyme
- ½ Tbsp dried marjoram
- Basil or parsley to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ c ricotta cheese
- ⅔ c grated Parmesan, divided
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella cheese log (slices), (optional to use shredded mozzarella)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large 9X13 (or similar sized) baking dish.
- Cook the pasta el dente (slightly undercooked) according to package directions.
- In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium-high. When oil is hot, add in the ground beef and allow to brown. Salt and pepper, then after 4-5 minutes, add in the onion, garlic, marjoram, thyme, and oregano. Stir gently and allow meat to finish cooking and the onions to become tender—taste for additional seasoning. Stir for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Stir for 20 minutes and allow the sauce to reduce by about 1/3. Taste for seasoning.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl (large enough to fit the cooked pasta), whisk together the eggs ricotta, and ⅓ cup of Parmesan. Add the pasta to the bowl and coat with the egg mixtures (use your hands or tongs!)
- Layer ⅓ of the pasta in the baking dish followed by ⅓ of the meat sauce, and ⅓ of the mozzarella slices. Continue this layering until all ingredients are used. Finish the layering with mozarella and any additional grated cheese, like Parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, then remove foil and return to baking for 20-25 minutes more, or until top is golden and browned—you can also stick the dish under the broiler on low for a minute or two to speed up the browning.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
DELICIOUS! Next time I will reduce the amount of pasta, double the sauce and use only shredded mozzarella as the cheese in log doesn’t melt.
Thanks, we added that option!
Sharing this recipe in a new easy dinner post that should go live in next seven days! ha!
thanks Sandy, I shared that I talk about your blog at parties!
laura in Colorado! send us snow!