Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is a comforting, family-style dish that takes a classic pasta dinner and turns it into a hearty baked casserole. Made with tender spaghetti, a rich meat sauce, and layers of melted cheese, this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights, make ahead meals, or feeding a crowd.

It delivers all the familiar flavors of traditional spaghetti with the added bonus of a golden, bubbly baked top!

If baked pasta dishes are your thing, you'll wan to try my Lasagna Roll Ups with a Creamy White Sauce, Cheesy Italian Baked Ziti or my mom's Calabrese Baked Polenta Style Lasagna for something different!

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Course Main Entrées

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 708 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
17 oz ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp tomato paste
24 oz tomato passata
3 leaves fresh basil or dried basil

Pasta

4½ oz Italian sausage 1 link of sausage, cooked and sliced
14 oz spaghetti cooked, drained (reserve some pasta water)
½ tsp salt for pasta water
1 cup mozzarella shredded
½ cup pecorino Romano grated

Instructions

Pasta Sauce

Heat up olive oil in a large skillet and cook garlic until fragrant. Add onion and sauté until transparent.
3 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 small onion
Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper and sauté until cooked. Add tomato paste and mix until well combined.
17 oz ground beef, 2 tbsp tomato paste, salt and pepper
Add tomato passata and basil, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for about 25 minutes.
24 oz tomato passata, 3 leaves fresh basil

Spaghetti

For the sausage, I usually remove the casing when it's partially frozen, slice it and pop it in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes at 350℉
4½ oz Italian sausage
Cook spaghetti as per manufacturer's instructions, remember to add salt to the pasta water. Remove from water al dente - do not cook all the way through!
14 oz spaghetti, ½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Prepare a baking dish with 1 cup of the pasta water and a few scoops of sauce and spread over the bottom of the dish.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, use a spaghetti spoon or drain the water and place it in a large bowl. Reserve a little bit of the pasta water in just in case.
Add the mozzarella, the sliced sausage and the Romano cheese to the bowl and mix together with the warm spaghetti. The mozzarella will help the spaghetti stick together. Transfer all of the mixed pasta to the baking dish. Sprinkle more shredded mozzarella on top.
1 cup mozzarella, ½ cup pecorino Romano
Bake covered for about 30 minutes. If you want the top to get a little crispy, uncover for the last 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Top Tips

Cook spaghetti just to al dente so it doesn't become mushy when baked

Let the baked spaghetti rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Use a thick meat sauce to prevent a watery casserole

Cover with foil for the first part of baking, then uncover to brown the cheese.

Season the sauce well because baking can mellow the flavors.

Reserve some pasta water in case your sauce is too thick.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 708kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 35gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 555mgPotassium: 1019mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 835IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 241mgIron: 5mg

Keyword baked pasta, meat sauce, spaghetti

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