Million Dollar Spaghetti is a spaghetti casserole with layers of noodles, cheese, and homemade meat sauce. It’s budget friendly, easy to make, and a meal the whole family will love.
Looking for more pasta recipes? Try my Shrimp Alfredo, Sun-dried Tomato Pasta, or American Goulash!
Why I love this meal:
- Family Friendly – The perfect marriage between my favorite Spaghetti Pie and a classic Lasagna. The entire family enjoys this easy casserole.
- Budget Friendly – Feeds a big group with inexpensive ingredients. What else could you want?
- Delicious – It truly tastes like a million bucks! The homemade meat sauce takes the flavor to the next level.
How to Make Million Dollar Spaghetti:
Make the Sauce: In a large skillet cook and crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage and season with salt and pepper. Remove most of the grease. Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent. Add all but ½ cup marinara sauce (reserve for later), to the mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.
Prep the Noodles: Boil a package of spaghetti noodles, drain the water, and toss them in a bowl with some butter and a little marinara sauce.
Make Cheese Layer: Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese in a bowl.
Assemble Casserole: Pour half the noodles into a 9×13” pan. Smooth cheese layer on top. Add remaining noodles. Then, layer the meat sauce.
Top with Cheese, and Bake: Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top and bake at 350 degrees F until cheese is melted and bubbly. I love it when the cheese on the edges get golden. Yum!
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: You can prepare this spaghetti casserole 1 day ahead of time. Follow recipe instructions up to step 8 (just before baking). allow it to cool, cover it well with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Or, prep the sauce, noodles and cheese layer 1-3 days ahead of time and assemble right before baking.
To Freeze: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step. Cover well with greased aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, then bake for about 20 minutes, covered, and then 20-25 minutes uncovered. If baking from frozen, bake covered for about 40 minutes, then uncover and bake at least 30-40 minutes longer, or until bubbly and warm.
Recipe Variations:
- Vegetarian Million Dollar Spaghetti: leave out the meat entirely or substitute plant based meat.
- Ground Beef vs. Sausage: I like to use both ground beef and ground pork sausage in this recipe but you don’t have to use both. If you do, consider saving the leftover ½ pound of sausage to make Baked Ziti or Pizza Casserole.
- Ricotta: if you prefer ricotta cheese to cottage cheese, feel free to substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
- Pasta: we use spaghetti for million dollar spaghetti but feel free to use your favorite kind of pasta.
Serve With:
- Fresh Fruit Salad
- Classic Wedge Salad or Green garden salad
- Brussels Sprouts Salad
- A big tray of raw veggies with Easy Vegetable Dip
- Homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks
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Recipe
Million Dollar Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage or pork sausage
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 1 small onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make Meat Sauce: In a large skillet cook and crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage and season with salt and pepper. Remove most of the grease. Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent. Add all but ½ cup of the marinara sauce (reserve ½ cup for later) to the mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Prepare noodles: Cook Spaghetti according to package instructions, just until “al dente”. Drain, and place hot spaghetti in a large mixing bowl with butter and ½ cup reserved marinara sauce and toss to combine.
- Make Cheese layer: Combine cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese in a bowl and mix well. Smooth over noodles in the pan.
- Assemble: Pour HALF of the pasta into a 9×13’’ pan. Smooth cheese layer on top. Top with remaining noodles. Add meat sauce on top and smooth into an even layer. Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Check it around 20 minutes and if the cheese is browning too quickly, tent a piece of tinfoil over it. Wait at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving, to allow it to set up. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated February 2022.
I made it for my family and it was definitely a hit. Everyone has told me they want me to make it again before finishing their dinner.
This recipe lived up to its name. My husband said “You should make this once a week.” The kids all loved it too.
Really really good. Will make again for sure.
So good! This will be my go to dish for potlucks and casual company. Followed all directions except made 1 and 1/2 times the meat sauce.
My family loved this spaghetti. I used ground turkey instead of beef and hot Italian sausage. I wasn’t sure about the cheese mixture but it has great flavor and a nice change from typical ricotta recipes. Definitely will be making this again.
Been a staple for us for 4+ years! Love this recipe!!
Absolutely wonderful! We do change up the cottage cheese for ricotta and also like to mix mozzarella and pepper jack. I love it, it’s fairly easy to make, especially if you can get it done in advance. Thanks for sharing!!
I felt like it needed more sauce. 24 oz was not enough in my opinion.
Very heavy and bland.
Can you provide clarification on the amount of spaghetti sauce? The ingredients say a 24 ounce bottle but the instructions only say to use 1 cup. (1/2 cup on meat and 1/2 cup on noodles.) I used the whole jar. Delicious!
Wish I could leave a pick of what I made and let you smell it. Oh…..my…….goodness! DELICIOUS 😋
One of my all time favorites! There’s a lot of cleanup to do after, but it is well worth it!
This was great! I used ground turkey instead of beef and ricotta instead of cottage cheese. We absolutely loved this! This is definitely a keeper. Thank you!
I made this tonight for dinner. Hubs said. This is definitely a keeper! Put this in the rotation!! No greater compliment could come out of his mouth!! Thanks for the recipe!!😃😃✌🏻😃😃
One of our family favorites! I use bow tie noodles but otherwise follow the recipe as listed. So delicious and enough to freeze leftovers. Freezes well also and is just as good the second time. We love it!
How many jars of marinara? It just says 24 jars I’m assuming that means 2 24 oz? Thanks
one 24oz jar!
Holy Moly!!! This is beyond amazing! So incredibly creamy. And pretty easy to make!!!
Love this recipe!!! I mix everything together and put mozzarella cheese inside and on top. I am making a small batch for me since my husband can not eat cheese
Really, really good!!! Will definitely make again and again. A great casserole to make for company.
This is such a great meal! We are currently a family of three, I believe that this could feed a party! It is absolutely delicious!
Could you substitute ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese? Would you still use the cream cheese and sour cream? Picky 14 year old haha!
I would substitute ricotta for the cream cheese and cottage cheese, and mix it with a little bit of sour cream! Enjoy!
This one is going on my list for church potlucks for sure!
Yes very good did a few things a lititle different , shedded up some left over pot roast and different pasta but came out great
Thanks for the recipe.
The spaghetti was wonderful and I even got my picky 4 year old to eat an entire serving! Will definitely make again, thank you so much!
I see instruction for freezing the spaghetti. Is there any special instructions for “make ahead” the day before?
Yes, you can make the whole thing the day before.
Its so yummy and perfect. I even doubled the recipe and cooked it longer….its amazing.
Great Recipe, I love it and easy to make!
My family loved it. Thanks!
I love to make this too, but I ususally substitute a shorter noodle, like Gnocci or Farfale. (I just don’t love dealing with the mess of Spaghetti
My kids love this dish. I sub Ricotta for Cottage Cheese and double the garlic. There are NEVaeR any leftovers. Keep the recipes coming… Thanks.
The Evans Family
I was wondering about substituting ricotta for the cottage cheese….thanks for this post.
I attempted this recipe and it was very easy to follow and put a new twist to spaghetti!! Thanks for sharing
Absolutely delicious! My husband loved it. Thanks for putting the recipe out there.
My kids loved this dish. Thank you for sharing.
This is amazing & so easy!! One of my favorite recipes
This looks so amazing! Easy and so good! Your pictures are stunning! Can’t wait to try it!
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I made double the amount and stuck one in the freezer for another time. Will definitely make it again!
I love your website, Your recipes are easy to follow and taste great. I teach a cooking class to developmentally handicapped adults and I plan on using several of your recipes. Thanks a lot!
That is so neat–thank you for sharing, and I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed some of my recipes!
Do you think you can substitute the spaghetti for spaghetti squash ??
Sure, sounds delicious!
I went on your new web site this morning and it is great, no ads. And very easy to print out the recipe. Thanks again for caring.
This recipe is perfect for all my picky eaters. I just love all your recipes. Thanks for sharing with us.
I made this the other night but added my own twist. To the sauce I added 2 cans of sliced mushrooms, 4 cloves of garlic, hot pepper flakes, Tarragon, Basil, Ital seasoning and Oregano. Some fresh spinach.
I love flavors to pop and it was GREAT
Can I just use 1lb of beef instead of adding the sausage? Also, why marinara and not regular pasta sauce?
Yes you can, and either marinara or pasta sauce will work fine 🙂
We love this recipe. We always put fresh mushrooms in it. My favorite meal!
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing Marla, and I’m happy you’ve enjoyed it!
Absolutely amazing! My son loved it…didn’t tell him all of the ingredients. Perfect with homemade garlic toast. Definitely will make again
Tried this meal today and it tasted wonderful! Great recipe! We have a bunch of picky eaters in the family and they all liked this meal. Will defiantly make this again. Thank u for the recipe !
I love it when we win over the picky eaters! 🙂 So happy to hear it–thanks for commenting!
This is delicious. I made it just as written, and it is the perfect comfort food for any time of year. Lots of compliments and sounds of yum… 🙂
It really is the perfect comfort food! Thanks for sharing Linda– I’m really happy everyone enjoyed it!
Made this tonight…it was quick and easy and delicious!!! Definitely making this again! Thanks for the recipe, absolutely loved it ❤️
Hi Laura,
Can we use chicken or turkey for the meat sauce? If yes, since both chicken and turkey are leaner how I do make sure that the sauce is not dry. Thanks,
I’d suggest ground turkey or chicken. Don’t over cook them, and you shouldn’t have a problem with dryness 🙂
Such a great idea, yum!
I made this using frozen meatballs which I halved. Split the recipe in half & shared with my elderly neighbors. It received a hearty thumbs up. Thanks for a great recipe!
Martha, thank you so much for sharing! I’m glad you like the recipe!
This is my new go-to when I’m bringing dinner to friends. Love that it has all of the flavors or regular pasta but served in a fun and different way!
Thanks Rachel! <3
Can this be made in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to bake? Say make it in the morning and bake in the evening
Yes, that should work great!
I made this a few days ago just as written and it was very good BUT we found that it really is million dollar spaghetti when it sits in the fridge for a couple days !!! This is in my keep folder thanks for the recipe:-)
Has you tried it with gluten-free pasta? Wondering how it would hold up? Looks delish!
I’ve never used gluten free pasta, so I can’t say for sure. But I would love to hear if you try it! 🙂
I used Barilla gluten free spaghetti. Cook until al dente. It held up amazing, couldn’t tell a difference from regular spaghetti!
Made this last night and just got done eating it for left overs for lunch today and I will just say this is AMAZING! My husband and very picky son both loved it! We also made your biscuits and gravy last weekend TWICE! Thank you for having great recipes that are easy to follow, easy to make and are super yummy! Your site is exactly what this busy mama needed in her life 🙂
That’s what I LOVE to hear! Thank you so much for sharing, and for following TBFS 🙂
Made this tonight, and it was so good! Substituted whole wheat spaghetti & Italian blend cheese for the top. Only thing I will change next time is the filling. The cream cheese mixture definitely could have used some seasoning. Overall though, it was a win!
Amazing recipe!!! Would not change a thing. Thank you so much!
Loved this dinner as an easy change up of speghetti on our normal “dinner rotation.” My kids loved it and thought it was a fun way to eat there noodles and my husband and I loved the creaminess of the recipe. Thanks!
Can you freeze it?
I have not tried it to say for sure, but I think it would work great. I would do the following: Make as instructed, but don’t bake it. Cover really well with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to eat, bake it from frozen for 1 hours (still covered with foil.) Then uncover and bake for another 20-40 minutes or so, or until it’s hot and bubbly. Hope that helps, and hope you enjoy it!
I used “gawd-awful” store bought sauce but I did add zucchini and carrots… maybe that will redeem me. Anyway, your recipe was spot on and my kiddos loved it served with salad on the side.
I made this tonight and it was sooo good! Thank you!
So glad! Thanks so much for sharing!
Can you substitute ricotta? If so how much to use and which cheese to substitute? Also, do you happen to know the difference in taste? I just prefer ricotta to cottage cheese, etc.
Hi Tina, I haven’t tried that but I think it should taste great!
I substituted ricotta and it was just as delicious
I was going to do that also did you cut any cream cheese?
Is there any sense of serving size or nutrition information?
It makes about 10-12 servings
I will make it, but not sure why you would use store-bought marinara sauce (they are all gawd-awful), instead of quickly making your own? Anyway; it looks good, will let you know back. 🙂
Why marinara sauce? Just curious that you don’t use spaghetti sauce?
Is there anyway you can remove some of your ads from interfering in your script, especially the recipes. They even show up while printing out recipes. It is a horrible thing.
Hi Pat, I am in the middle of a complete site redesign that should fix all of these issues! Look for changes in the next week or two. Sorry for the inconvenience!
I copy and paste recipe in my notes then delete the adds before printing.