Don’t forget a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese!
Baked Spaghetti
This cheesy baked spaghetti recipe truly is a life saver. It’s so easy to throw together and it makes a great make-ahead recipe and freezer food. It’s the perfect comfort food to serve with my Garlic Bread with Cheese! Read on and see how easy it is to make, what ingredients you need, and how you can easily make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven on busy weeknight.
How to Make it
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Boil salted water for spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a skillet and drain if needed. Add onions and peppers, cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add marinara sauce and stir to combine. I prefer to use my homemade marinara or Rao’s.
Add Ricotta and Parmesan and stir until combined and heated through. Add a dab of cream cheese if desired, then mix in the cooked spaghetti.
Transfer half of the spaghetti to a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with 2 cups of mozzarella. Add remaining spaghetti.
Add 2 more cups mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and melted. Let sit 5 minutes prior to serving.
Baked Spaghetti with Meatballs
If your family loves the classic spaghetti and meatball combo, you could also make Bobby Flay’s Meatball recipe or my Slow Cooker Meatballs. Just mix the cooked meatballs into the sauce, combine it with the spaghetti, top with cheese, and bake!
Make Ahead Method
Option 1: Assemble and Refrigerate:
Cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Bake refrigerated casserole at 375° for 30 minutes covered, then for 10 minutes uncovered.
Option 2: Assemble and Freeze:
Cover with 2 layers of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. These disposable aluminum baking pans are great for the freezer. Let frozen casserole thaw in the fridge overnight and bake at 375° for 30 minutes covered, then for 10 minutes uncovered. You can also bake from a frozen state and add an additional 1 hour of baking time, covered.
Pro Tip: If your 9 x 13 casserole dish is filled to the brim, place it on a baking sheet in the oven to catch any overflow, just in case. Alternatively, you can use an 11 x 15 inch baking dish.
Storage
Refrigerator
Baked spaghetti should be refrigerated and is best if used within three days.
Freezer
Baked spaghetti makes a great freezer food after it’s been baked. It’s best to wrap portion sizes in foil and place them in a labeled freezer bag. To reheat from a frozen state, leave it in the foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or more, depending on the serving size.
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Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2019 and was since republished. If preferred, you can access the previous version here. (Although I recommend you try the updated version!)
