Baked Spaghetti

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
I grew up in a Chinese food-loving family, eating my first restaurant meals in Oakland's vibrant Chinatown. My love of food but lack of cooking experience led to me Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where I graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine in French cooking. After culinary school, I learned how to test and edit recipes in test kitchens at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW, falling in love with the process of rigorously testing recipes to make sure they were foolproof for the home cook. I've worked with thousands of recipes over the past 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. Living in the delicious diversity of San Francisco, I never get tired of finding new ingredients or cuisines to try. My favorite type is Cantonese home cooking — I'm on a quest to recreate the dishes my grandmother used to make. All the food I test at home is eagerly tasted and enjoyed by my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie, while our little dog, Mochi, looks wistfully on.
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published Sep 21, 2024
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head on shot of baked spaghetti in a baking dish, with a piece taken out of the dish
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Spencer Richards

It gives hearty, comforting Italian-American vibes.

Serves8 to 10

Prep15 minutes to 20 minutes

Cook1 hour 7 minutes

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head on shot of baked spaghetti in a baking dish, with a piece taken out of the dish
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Spencer Richards

One of my comfort foods is lasagna, but with all the layers to make and assemble, it’s a once-a-year effort of love for me. So when the craving strikes but I’m short on time and energy, I’ve started turning to baked spaghetti instead. This dish takes the relative ease of baked ziti and merges it with the flavors of a classic lasagna, making it a hearty, comforting pasta casserole that pleases both kids and adults.

Baked spaghetti starts with a quick meat sauce that gets tossed with spaghetti noodles. The saucy noodles are then layered with a ricotta filling and plenty of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese (I promise this step is quick and easy). After only 30 minutes in the oven (about half the time as a regular lasagna), each “square” is loaded with lots of melty browned cheese, a savory sauce, and tender noodles that are never dry, thanks to a brilliant layering technique. Here’s how to make the ultimate baked spaghetti.

Why You’ll Love It

  • It tastes just like lasagna. Baked spaghetti has all the flavors and layers of lasagna, complete with soft noodles, a hearty meat sauce, creamy herbed ricotta, and lots of browned cheese.
  • Smart shortcuts make this easier and quicker. Starting with store-bought marinara sauce means the meat sauce comes together quickly. There are also just a few layers to assemble, and the bake time is only 30 minutes.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Spencer Richards

Key Ingredients in Baked Spaghetti

  • Marinara sauce. Store-bought marinara sauce (here’s our favorite) already has lots of flavor, so using it as the base of the meat sauce means it doesn’t have to simmer for hours.
  • Ground beef. Use lean ground beef so that there isn’t a lot of excess fat that you would have to drain off.
  • Ricotta cheese. A tub of ricotta cheese mixed with eggs binds the top and bottom layers of spaghetti together, plus adds a creaminess similar to when it’s baked into lasagna. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can even make your own ricotta.
  • Spaghetti. Grab a pack of your favorite brand of spaghetti (here’s a fun way to get spaghetti out of its package). Make sure to cook it a minute less than al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven (and no one likes mushy pasta). 

How to Make Baked Spaghetti

  1. Make the meat sauce. Sauté ground beef, onion, garlic, and seasonings together. Add in jarred marinara sauce, rinse out the sauce jar with some water, and add that too. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Cook the spaghetti and make the ricotta filling. While the sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti noodles and make a ricotta filling with parsley, Parmesan cheese, and eggs.
  3. Sauce the pasta. Add half of the sauce to the drained spaghetti and toss to combine.
  4. Assemble the baked spaghetti. Layer half of the spaghetti in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Top with the ricotta filling, some mozzarella cheese, and the rest of the spaghetti. Finish layering the remaining meat sauce over the top so it insulates the spaghetti and keeps it from drying out. Sprinkle with more mozzarella and Parmesan.
  5. Bake the pasta. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Cut into squares like lasagna to serve.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Spencer Richards

Helpful Swaps

  • You can swap in ground turkey, ground chicken, or plant-based ground beef for the lean ground beef.
  • Instead of Italian seasoning, you can use the same amount of dried oregano, or a combination of the dried thyme and dried oregano.
  • Use chopped fresh basil leaves in place of the parsley, but wait until you’re ready to serve before chopping up the basil leaves for garnishing so they don’t turn brown.
  • You can make two smaller casseroles by swapping out the 9×13-inch baking dish for 2 (8×8-inch) baking dishes instead. Freeze one of them for a future meal!

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips 

  • The meat sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Rewarm before using.
  • This can also be completely assembled, covered in aluminum foil coated with cooking spray (place it spray-side down), and refrigerated for up to 2 days ahead before baking. Bake covered for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for 30 minutes more.
  • After baking, this can be frozen right in the baking dish for up to 2 months. Let cool completely, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Bake straight from the freezer covered for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.
  • Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

What to Serve with Baked Spaghetti

Comments

Baked Spaghetti Recipe

It gives hearty, comforting Italian-American vibes.

Prep time 15 minutes to 20 minutes

Cook time 1 hour 7 minutes

Serves 8 to 10

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1

    medium yellow onion

  • 3 cloves

    garlic

  • 1 tablespoon

    olive oil

  • 1 pound

    lean ground beef

  • 1 teaspoon

    Italian seasoning

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 (32-ounce) jar

    marinara sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

  • 1/2 cup

    water

For assembly:

  • 8 ounces

    low-moisture mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups shredded)

  • 2 ounces

    Parmesan cheese (3/4 cup freshly grated or 1/2 cup store-bought grated)

  • 12 sprigs

    fresh parsley (about 1/3 medium bunch)

  • 1 (15-ounce) container

    whole-milk ricotta cheese

  • 2

    large eggs

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 1 pound

    dried spaghetti

Instructions

Make the sauce:

  1. Dice 1 medium yellow onion (about 1 1/2 cups) and finely chop 3 garlic cloves.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, 1 pound lean ground beef, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, breaking up the beef into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the beef is cooked through and the onion is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

  3. Add 1 (32-ounce) jar marinara sauce. Add 1/2 cup water to the now-empty marinara jar, seal the jar, and shake to loosen any remaining sauce from the jar. Pour into the pan, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat as needed to maintain a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Meanwhile, heat the oven and prepare the remaining ingredients.

Make the pasta and assemble:

  1. Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and heat the oven to 375ºF. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.

  2. Meanwhile, grate 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese on the large holes of a box grater (about 2 cups). Finely grate 2 ounces Parmesan cheese on the small holes of the box grater (about 3/4 cup), or measure out 1/2 cup store-bought grated. Pick the leaves from 12 fresh parsley sprigs and finely chop until you have 1/4 cup.

  3. Place half of the Parmesan, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese, 2 large eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. Whisk with a fork until combined.

  4. Add 1 pound dried spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for 1 minute less than al dente. Drain and return the pasta to the now-empty pot. Add half of the sauce (about 3 cups) and toss until combined.

  5. Transfer half of the pasta mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish and arrange into an even layer. Dollop the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Layer with the remaining pasta. Spread the remaining sauce over the pasta in an even layer, making sure the pasta is completely covered in sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

  6. Bake uncovered until the edges are bubbling and the cheese is melted and browned in spots, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and garnish with the reserved parsley before cutting into pieces like a lasagna and serving.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The meat sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Rewarm before using.

This can also be completely assembled, covered in aluminum foil coated with cooking spray (place it spray-side down), and refrigerated for up to 2 days ahead before baking. Bake covered for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for 30 minutes more.

Two smaller casseroles: This can be prepared in 2 (8x8-inch) baking dishes instead, which is great if you want to freeze half for a future meal.

Freezing: Baked spaghetti can be frozen right in the baking dish for up to 2 months. Let cool completely, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Bake straight from the freezer covered for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Filed in:
Main Dish
pasta
Meat
Beef
dinner