Easy baked spaghetti is a hit with the kids! Dinner is on the table in less than 45 minutes and every belly will be satisfied.
Original recipe: March 2012 | Updated: January 2021
Why This Recipe Works
Having a favorite recipe for those busy nights is key to getting a filling meal into your family’s bellies. Everyone loves spaghetti but sometimes it needs changing up. This recipe helps you do that!
Whether you use a jar of spaghetti sauce from the grocery store or my homemade recipe, this recipe comes together quickly and you’ll still be on track with your evening.
See Baked Spaghetti Being Made In Action!
Baked spaghetti is a meal the whole family loves and it’s easy to tuck some healthy vegetables in there and disguise them in pasta and sauce.
How To Make Easy Baked Spaghetti
Step 1 – Prepare The Noodles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to the package minus 3 minutes and drain. You don’t want the noodles to be quite al dente because you are going to bake it further.
Step 2 – Prepare The Meat Sauce
In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add the onions, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add spaghetti sauce and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Step 3 – Build The Casserole
Layer the baking dish as follows: half of the spaghetti noodles, half of the sauce mixture, ricotta cheese, oregano, the remaining spaghetti noodles, the remaining sauce, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve warm with a crusty bread and salad.
Recipe Notes
- In order to make this recipe super delicious, prepare my Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce to WOW everyone with a tasty sauce that upgrades your spaghetti from just ok to AHmazing.
- Mozzarella cheese can be substituted for any cheese or to make it cheesier!
- If you don’t have ricotta cheese, cottage cheese is a great substitute.
- Not a fan of peppers? Chop up some zucchini or dice some kale!
- Spaghetti noodles are the go-to for this meal most of the time, but when you’re layering food and baking it, anything goes! Farfalle or penne pasta would be a fun change up, too.
- Reheat your casserole easily by tossing it in the oven! Keep it covered so you don’t lose any moisture and the food heats throughout the dish evenly, then take the top off the last few minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning for even more of an Italian flare.
The Best Way To Freeze A Casserole
If you want to freeze a casserole for later use, you have a couple options:
Freeze unbaked – Assemble the layers as directed in an aluminum baking pan and wrap tightly in foil. Place into resealable freezer bags and freeze for 3-4 months.
When you are ready to enjoy the casserole, let it thaw completely (preferably in the fridge overnight) and bake as directed on the recipe.
Freeze baked – Assemble the layers and bake as directed in an aluminum baking pan. Let the casserole cool completely and wrap tightly in foil. Place into resealable freezer bags and freeze for 3-4 months.
When you are ready to enjoy the casserole, let it thaw completely (preferably in the fridge overnight). Reheat in a 250 degree F oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
If your pasta is already cooked and you just need a delicious, savory sauce to top your noodles with, consider making this delicious homemade pasta sauce using fresh or frozen tomatoes!
Check out this guide to learn how long spaghetti sauce lasts in the fridge.
Pasta Sauce Made Using Tomato Sauce
Transform 2 cans of tomato sauce into a batch of easy pasta sauce! If you have tomato sauce on hand instead of tomato paste, this is a great option for you.
Make Pasta Sauce Using a Can of Tomato Paste
And if you have paste on hand instead of sauce, try this super easy way to transform tomato paste into pasta sauce!
Marinara vs Spaghetti Sauce
So close in texture, color and flavor that you could call them cousins! Let’s get to the heart of the issue and explore marinara vs spaghetti sauce. What are the differences?!
If you find yourself with a weak batch of marinara, learn how to thicken it easily!
FAQ About Baked Spaghetti
It takes 30 minutes to bake spaghetti. If your ingredients are warm going into the oven, reduce bake time to 20 minutes.
Typically spaghetti noodles are combined with ground beef, vegetables, Ricotta and cheddar cheeses and spices. Typical veggies include onions, peppers, mushrooms and zucchini. Typical spices include oregano and Italian seasoning.
How To Thicken Pasta Sauce
If you make or purchase a batch of pasta sauce and find that is thin and lacks substance, there are ways to fix it! Read on for tips about how to make thick spaghetti sauce.
Or if you do not have paste on hand, learn how to thicken without tomato paste.
Leftover Pasta Sauce Recipes
If you don’t want to toss your next batch of sauce, this roundup will provide you with recipes to make using leftover spaghetti sauce so nothing goes to waste.
What To Serve With This Dish
Serve yourself up a large bowl of baked spaghetti and pair it with one of these recipes!
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Easy Baked Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper seeded, stem removed, chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium zucchini sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 24 oz spaghetti sauce
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano finely chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp Italian parsley finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti 3 minutes short of package instructions and drain.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Add the onions, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add spaghetti sauce and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Layer the baking dish as follows: half of the spaghetti noodles, half of the sauce mixture, ricotta cheese, oregano, the remaining spaghetti noodles, the remaining sauce, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm with a crusty bread and salad.
Notes
- In order to make this recipe super delicious, prepare my Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce to WOW everyone with a tasty sauce that upgrades your spaghetti from just ok to AHmazing.
- Mozzarella cheese can be substituted for any cheese or to make it cheesier!
- If you don’t have ricotta cheese, cottage cheese is a great substitute.
- Not a fan of peppers? Chop up some zucchini or dice some kale!
- Spaghetti noodles are the go-to for this meal most of the time, but when you’re layering food and baking it, anything goes! Farfalle or penne pasta would be a fun change up, too.
- Reheat your casserole easily by tossing it in the oven! Keep it covered so you don’t lose any moisture and the food heats throughout the dish evenly, then take the top off the last few minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning for even more of an Italian flare.
Thanks so much for the delicious recipe!!! We had this for dinner tonight and we loved it!!!!
The dish looks so good. My kids would eat the whole batch.
This sounds and looks amazing!! Yummy 🙂
This was SO yummy, Megan! I am going to make this for Chris for sure!
I definitely need to cook with ricotta more often. What an underrated cheese! What a great finishing picture! Delicious!