This easy baked spaghetti recipe is sure to become a family favorite! It’s kid-friendly, quick, has a meaty sauce, and uses basic ingredients the whole family will love.
This easy baked spaghetti recipe is a Drake family favorite. I’m pretty sure most moms have their own version of this great recipe that they make on a regular basis. It’s got a lot of things going for it…it’s easy, pretty quick, hearty, has simple ingredients, and usually there are leftovers. When my kids were home, I knew I could make this and everyone would eat it. No one complained! All I needed was this baked spaghetti casserole with some garlic bread, and we were ready to eat.
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Why This Recipe Works
I’ve been making this dish for so long that I honestly don’t remember how I came up with it. It’s certainly not anything complicated, but sometimes those types of recipes turn out to be the best. Kids love this because there are no weird ingredients, and it’s not spicey. I love using fresh basil when I have it in my garden, and it’s wonderful in this easy baked spaghetti recipe. I chop up about 6 – 8 leaves and throw it in. It adds freshness and a little color.
Ingredient Notes + Tips
- Ground turkey or Italian sausage can be substituted for the ground beef.
- Additions: ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, black olives, chopped onions, red pepper flakes, green peppers, sliced mushrooms, or oregano.
- Penne, shells, elbows, spaghetti noodles, or whole wheat pasta can be substituted for the rotini.
- Store this delicious casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- For a classic comfort food dinner, serve this spaghetti with a Caesar salad, romaine and apple salad, or fresh fruit. Don’t forget the garlic bread!
How To Make
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Drain pasta.
- In the same large pot, cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain or pat off any excess fat/grease.
- Pour the pasta sauce into the pot of ground beef.
- Stir and add chopped fresh basil if desired.
- A little at a time, add the cooked pasta to the sauce/beef mixture.
- (You want plenty of sauce because the pasta continues to cook as it bakes.)
- At this point you can put the pasta/sauce mixture into a casserole dish or keep it in the cooking pot.
- Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until bubbly around the edges.
One Less Step
I recently tried a new method where the pasta cooks right in the oven…no need to boil it first! By adding chicken broth to the sauce, the spaghetti bakes up perfectly tender while saving a step (and a pot). It takes a bit longer in the oven, but the cleanup is easier, and the result is just as delicious.
- Add 2 cups of dry rotini pasta to an 8×8 inch baking dish.
- Add one cup of chicken broth.
- Add one jar (24 oz.) of spaghetti sauce.
- Mix together and make sure pasta is covered with the liquid.
- Top pasta mixture with 1 lb. cooked ground beef. Do not mix beef with the pasta mixture.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Stir well.
- Top with 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese if desired.
- Return to oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.
Shop + Source
*Affiliate links included. See my disclosure statement. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Can you double this recipe?
Yes! It works well if you need to feed a crowd. A double recipe fits in a 9 x 13 pan, and bakes very evenly. You may need to increase the baking time a little. This baked spaghetti is done when the cheese is melted and it’s bubbling around the edges.
Easy Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 24 oz. jar of your favorite tomato/spaghetti sauce (can use more if desired)
- 12 oz. rotini pasta
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Drain pasta.
- In the same large pot, cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain or pat off any excess fat/grease.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce into the pot of ground beef.
- Stir and add chopped fresh basil if desired.
- A little at a time, add the cooked pasta to the sauce/beef mixture.
- (You want plenty of sauce because the pasta continues to cook as it bakes.)
- At this point you can put the pasta/sauce mixture into a casserole dish or keep it in the cooking pot.
- Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until bubbly around the edges.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you!
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Thank you Ann, it looks easy and delicious!
Lucy
Thanks, Ann, for another great recipe. We love spaghetti and I am definitely going to make your recipe next week! It just sounds so yummy!
I have been making a dish like yours for over 40 years. I had run out of spaghetti, so I used shell noodles and baked it. Over the years, this amazing, hearty meal has fed my children. Now this recipe is lovingly called “Italian Surprise “. My daughter in law couldn’t believe how easy this recipe was. It has been a favorite dish to take to church potlucks, nothing ever left over!
I have been making a version of this dish for many years. My recipe uses ground Italian sausage and mostaciolli noodles. It is a family favorite in our family also.
Funny I’ve made this exact thing and we call it “lasagna-ish” – less work but similar enough tasting to get that comfy feeling :)
Sounds yummy!! Thanks for sharing with us 😊. Stay safe and healthy!!!
HH Ann! Just a note from me to you to let you know I am thinking of you. The spaghetti casserole sounds yummy since our spring like temperatures today are also going to bring rain. But more important than that is just to send a hug and hope that you and yours are able to stay well. Our blessings certainly include technology so we can stay in touch even when self-quarantined.
Dar Ann, thank you for your continued fresh, positive, inspiring posts. Reading them each day is a welcomes ‘time out’ from all that is happening in the world right now. Be safe & healthy.
Oh Ann! This is one of my family favorites and was passed down from my mother! One tip that you gave me was to mix the ground beef and pasta sauce I the noodle dish after cooking the pasta. How clever ! One less dish is always so much better. I love your blog !
This sounds so good and easy. Thank you for all if the
recipes,