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.
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure statement.
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!
JOIN THE OSP COMMUNITY
Sign up to get uncomplicated recipes, unlimited seasonal decor, and
understated ways to refresh your home sent straight to your email inbox!
More Main Dishes
amazon storefront
Discover simple and affordable
ways to refresh your home.
Follow my Amazon Storefront
for all my favorite finds!
Delicious meal for a family that was moving
This was such an easy recipe and quick. I definitely will add it to my repeat pasta dishes. However, I would do 1/2 recipe – it is a lot for 1 person, I have celiac and had to use gluten free pasta, I felt it absorb much of the sauce so next time I would do more sauce.
Ann, I saw the Baked Spaghetti recipe yesterday and made it. Both of my children oved it. It will be in the recipe file. AND for those of you who have not tried Ann’s mother’s roast beef… It is to die for. This summer you need to report the strawberry cool whip dessert. It is hard to keep in the frig, it goes so fast.
I like to add diced onion and green pepper, and sliced mushrooms. And, if you’re a bit more indulgent, a block of cream cheese (cubed, then melted).
I’m definitely going to make this baked spaghetti. I love On Sutton Place, it makes my day. Thank you for your creative decorating ideas, your delicious recipes and clever ideas about everything. I wish we lived next store to each other. Enjoy your new home.
Mary Lou Cross
Happy Holidays, Ann! I’m sure you and your family will enjoy your new home. I love your decorating style and, of course, your recipes! Making the baked spaghetti tonight. Thanks.
Thursday evenings my husband and I make dinner for our daughter and her family of four.
This is our opportunity to see them once a week without using a weekend day. We have been doing this for 9 years.
We made the baked spaghetti for dinner last week. It was a definite hit with Braydon and Autumn. There was a request to make it again.
Thank you for this recipe and for all the beautiful ideas you share with us.
Made your Easy Baked Spaghetti tonight. Not only is it easy to make it is delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
We love the baked spaghetti recipe. So easy to put together. I made the pasta in the pressure cooker. I added some chopped onions. Delicious. I will be making this in my usual meal rotation, Excellent!
I made this recipe for my family dinner this evening. We loved it – thank you!