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Take your spaghetti dinner to the next level with this delicious pasta casserole, sometimes called Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole. It features spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, and five kinds of cheese. That’s right, five kinds of cheese! This pasta dish is always a huge hit with everyone we serve it to and many ask for the recipe. I usually serve this with a side salad and garlic bread for a complete and comforting meal.

A plate with one serving of baked cream cheese spaghetti casserole in the foreground and a salad and garlic bread in the background.

Pasta is a dish that is loved by the whole family and we eat it at least once a week. It’s perfect for busy weeknights because it’s quick and easy. The best thing about it is that there are so many different ways to make it.

We make this cream cheese spaghetti recipe super easy by using jar sauce. I have never made homemade marinara sauce because I feel like that’s one thing manufacturers have perfected. Sure, I make some simple sauces for pasta dishes, but when it comes to marinara type sauce I’m all for the convenience of store-bought.

Half of the casserole dish is in frame with the whole uncut baked spaghetti.

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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
How to make baked spaghetti with cream cheese
Tip
Substitutions and additions
Storage and reheating
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Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

pasta – we use regular spaghetti, thin spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti will work. I have not tried this dish with gluten free pasta but feel like it could work since the pasta is cooked by itself. It may require more liquid because the gluten free pasta I have used tends to soak up more than regular.

ground beef – I like lean ground beef because it’s better for us, but mostly because I don’t have to drain it.

marinara sauce – store brand is great for this, you want a sauce that isn’t too chunky so you have more liquid.

cream cheese – regular cream cheese or 1/3 less fat works well in this baked spaghetti casserole.

ricotta cheese – either made with whole milk or part-skim milk works well.

cottage cheese – I like small curd for this because it mixes well and adds some more liquid.

garlic – we buy the pre-chopped in the jar.

cheddar cheese – sometime I use pre-shredded and sometimes I grate my own off the block. The freshly grated melts better but if you want to save time go ahead and use packaged shredded cheese.

parmesan cheese – I almost always have a block on-hand and grate my own. Again, to save time pre-shredded works great too!

Top view of one serving of Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole on a white and black plate.

How to make baked spaghetti with cream cheese

Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions.
While the pasta cooks brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Once brown drain fat if not using lean ground beef, add the pasta sauce and cook until nice and hot.
In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese and garlic. Add cooked spaghetti and toss to combine.
Spray a 9″ X 13″ casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and put a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish, just enough to cover it. Add the spaghetti mixture and remaining meat sauce, top with cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Tip

I try to let my cream cheese come to room temperature so it melts well. If you don’t have time then cut it into smaller chunks and mix it with the warm spaghetti before you add all of the other ingredients so it will melt.

A collage of six images showing the meat mixture, the cheese mixture, and the 4 steps showing the casserole being assembled.

Substitutions and additions

Swap the beef for ground turkey, ground chicken or ground Italian sausage.
Replace either the cottage cheese or ricotta cheese with an equal amount of sour cream.
Instead of cheddar cheese use mozzarella cheese.
Add a bit of Italian seasoning, anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon.
For a little kick add some crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like things this could be a pinch or a teaspoon or two.
Cook chopped onion or green pepper in with the ground beef, about 1/2 cup.
Since all of the cheeses in this dish come in low-fat versions that is what we use most of the time to try to keep the calorie count as low as possible.

The whole uncut baked casserole in a glass baking dish.

Storage and reheating

Store leftover baked spaghetti in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We reheat this in the microwave. It can be warmed in the oven covered in aluminum foil. Southern Living has a great article on how to warm different types of pasta.