This creamy baked spaghetti with cream cheese is the cozy spaghetti casserole you make when everyone’s hungry and nobody wants to fuss. Spaghetti and meat sauce get layered with a mix of cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream, topped with cheddar, and baked until bubbly. It’s on the table in about 50 minutes and feeds a crowd.
I’ve been on a casserole kick for about 20 years now, and pasta is where I always end up.
Our homemade Alfredo sauce happens a lot around here. Ravioli Lasagna is my favorite shortcut for getting lasagna on the table quickly. And this garlic shrimp pasta is ready in just 25 minutes.
But the number one pasta recipe I make for my family, friends, and guests? This creamy baked spaghetti. Every time.
You start with spaghetti, ground beef, and sauce. Standard spaghetti stuff.
Then you stir together cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream with a little garlic, and tuck that creamy layer right into the middle. That’s the part that turns regular spaghetti into the kind of casserole people go back for seconds of.
This recipe, you guys. It’s a winner in my family and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a winner in your family, too.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- That creamy middle layer. The cream cheese filling melts into the sauce as it bakes, so every scoop is saucy, cheesy, and rich.
- Simple, everyday ingredients. Jarred marinara, ground beef, a box of spaghetti, and dairy you probably already have. No special trip to the store.
- One pan feeds a crowd. A 9×13 makes 8 servings, so it’s great for family dinner, potlucks, or a meal for a friend.
Ingredients for Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese
Pasta – We use spaghetti, but any shape works here. Penne, rigatoni, and ziti all hold up nicely.
Spaghetti sauce: This is meant to be an easy family dinner, so grab your favorite jar of marinara. If you want to go homemade, my homemade spaghetti sauce recipe works great. It makes more than you need here, so you’ll have extra for another night.
Cottage cheese: It melts right in with the cream cheese and sour cream, so even cottage cheese skeptics are unlikely to notice it. It adds creaminess without making the filling heavy. Ricotta works too if you prefer.
Cheddar: I know, cheddar on spaghetti is a little polarizing. It adds a sharp, salty bite that plays really well with the creamy layer. Mozzarella works if you want that classic stretchy cheese pull.
What do you call this recipe?
You’ve probably seen versions of this recipe all over the internet under a bunch of different names.
Million Dollar Spaghetti is the most common one, but those recipes usually add a whole stick of butter. We just don’t think it needs it (and we love butter).
It’s also pretty similar to Cheddar’s spasagna, an old favorite from back in the day.
Whether you call it cream cheese spaghetti, spaghetti casserole, million dollar spaghetti, or creamy baked spaghetti, they’re all rich, cheesy, and comforting. We’re a little partial to ours.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti:
While you’re boiling your pasta, brown the ground beef in a large skillet and then stir in the marinara and let it all simmer.
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and seasoning until smooth.
Add half of the spaghetti, dollop on the cream cheese mixture, and then top with half of the meat sauce. Repeat the layers.
Sprinkle on the cheddar and bake for 20-30 minutes, unti the spaghetti bake is hot and bubbly. Let it rest for a few minutes before digging in.
Helpful Tip!
Short on Time?
Try our stove top version for a quick way to get that creamy baked spaghetti fix without actually baking it! This million dollar pasta is ready in just 20 minutes!
Swaps & Tips
- Swap the beef. Italian sausage, ground turkey, or a mix of beef and sausage all work.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt is the closest swap. Heads up, we’ve only made it with sour cream ourselves.
- Ricotta for cottage cheese. Same amount, slightly smoother filling. You could also blend your cottage cheese for a smooth texture, but honestly, no one notices the curds in this one.
- Cooking for a smaller crowd? Halve everything and use an 8×8 pan.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Soft noodles turn mushy after baking. One minute under the package time is the sweet spot.
Serving Ideas
- Garlic bread. My creamy onion garlic bread is made for mopping up the sauce.
- A crisp green salad. Something crunchy with my easy garlic dressing balances all that creamy cheese.
- Roasted or steamed veggies. Green beans, broccoli, or roasted zucchini keep dinner simple.
How to Store Creamy Baked Spaghetti
- Refrigerator: Cover tightly and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat: Microwave individual portions until hot. For a bigger batch, cover with foil and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through.
- Make ahead: Assemble the casserole, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Add an extra 10 minutes to the bake time since it’s going in cold.
- Freezer: I haven’t frozen this one myself yet, but readers ask a lot. If you try it, assemble without baking, wrap well, freeze, then thaw in the fridge overnight before baking. Dairy-heavy fillings can turn a little grainy after freezing.
FAQs:
Most million dollar spaghetti recipes include a full stick of butter melted in the bottom of the baking dish before adding the spaghetti and there’s certainly nothing stopping you from doing that. We’ve just tested this recipe both ways and we can never even notice the butter. It doesn’t seem worth the extra 800 calories added to the dish.
Yes! Skip the beef and use a little less sauce, or swap in roasted cauliflower and chopped walnuts seasoned with Italian seasoning for a hearty, meaty texture.
More Baked Pasta Recipes
I’ve got lots of baked pasta dishes! Actually, I have a whole category devoted to pasta where you can find many of those recipes.
Love that cream cheese layer? My cream cheese baked rigatoni and million dollar baked tortellini are cousins to this one.
Check out this taco spaghetti recipe if you are looking for a Mexican themed pasta dish.
And of course I’ve got a version of the viral TikTok favorite recipe feta pasta!
This chicken spaghetti is another easy baked pasta recipe!
Creamy Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti for 1 minute less than the package directions state. Drain the water from the pasta.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the beef, crumbling it as it cooks. Drain the fat and add the marinara sauce to the meat. Simmer over low heat until the spaghetti is ready.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and garlic until smooth, creamy, and well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Place half of the cooked spaghetti in the bottom of the baking dish. Dollop half of the cream cheese mixture over the spaghetti and spread as evenly as possible. Spread with half of the meat mixture. Repeat the layers once and top with cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.
KDW says
Can I freeze this recipe before baking?
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried freezing this one myself, but I think it would work just fine! I’d probably thaw in the fridge before baking.
Marie says
Before I boil the spaghetti noodles, I break them into quarters or thirds. Then, after they are cooked, I drain the spaghetti, put the hot spaghetti in a large bowl, and in a small bowl, whisk an egg with 1/3 c of grated parmesan, a tablespoon or more of soft butter (not melted) and a teaspoon of dried or fresh-chopped basil or parsley. Then I stir that mixture into the hot spaghetti. When I put half of the spaghetti/egg/parmesan mixture into the greased 9×13-inch baking dish, I bring up enough of the spaghetti noodles to surround the baking dish, going up the four sides as much as I can. This becomes a spaghetti noodle “crust” for the dish. I continue with the layer of meat sauce, then add my second layer of the remaining noodles and sauce. This will add more flavour and structure to the spaghetti noodles, and breaking the uncooked noodles before boiling them makes it much easier to serve in a casserole such as this wonderful, flavourful Creamy Baked Spaghetti dish. Thank you, Karly, for a very delicious recipe, which has really become a hit in our house!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds interesting! I’ll have to try your method sometime. Thanks for sharing!
Barb Duncan says
I haven’t made this recipe yet so I gave it 4 stars because it sounds great. I appreciate your tips, especially for breaking the spaghetti noodles before cooking. But I wonder – do you omit the cream cheese and sour cream, and substitute 1 cup of parmesan cheese instead.
Marie says
Thank you for commenting on my suggestions, Barb, but I do not substitute any of the recipe’s ingredients. The 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese that I suggested was to be added to the hot-cooked spaghetti noodles after being drained, along with 1 or 2 TBS of softened butter, one whisked egg, and a bit of chopped parsley and or chopped basil, becoming the flavored noodles to the layers as the recipe stated. The cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and minced garlic make up the creamy sauce that is also layered with the meat sauce and the noodles. I am sorry that I did not mention in my original post the cream cheese mixture as a layer. That was my mistake, so I know how you must have thought that I substituted Parmesan for the creamy cream cheese mixture as a layer. So there will be flavored spaghetti noodles, cream cheese mixture, and meat sauce in that order and repeated. One last thing that I forgot in my original post is that I also cook chopped onions with the ground beef and seasonings, such as oregano, garlic, and onion powders, and S & P for added flavor to the meat sauce.
CORINNE POKROY says
Can I do the same recipe but omitting the meat and making it just sauce and all the different cheese
Karly Campbell says
I’m sure you could! You may not need quite as much sauce or you could try using another type of filler for the meat (we often do a mixture of roasted cauliflwoer and walnuts seasoned with Italian seasoning in place of ground beef for pasta sauce).
Mary L Fisher says
My daughter made this and it was SO good! I had to have the recipe, so she sent me to this site. I am so glad and can’t wait to see other recipes. Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mary! This is a family favorite. 🙂
Julie McClure says
This is the requested dinner when my adult son comes home.
Karly Campbell says
Love that!!
Jamie Ellison says
Could I replace the sour cream with anything if so what can I replace it with this looks delicious either way
Karly says
Hi Jamie! You could try Greek yogurt, if you have that on hand. We really have only used sour cream here though. 🙂
Susan D Alldredge says
This looks and sounds delicious! Can it be frozen?
Karly says
I’ve never tried freezing it, but I think it would do great!
Cindy V says
This recipe is outstanding! Absolutely delicious, and easy too. This is definitely a new favorite.
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Cynthia Intelmann says
This was easy and liked by children as well as adults. Quick dinner when you’re in a rush.
Karly says
So glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂
Samantha says
My family loved this recipe. I will be making this again.
Karly says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Samantha!
Cammie Wilkinson says
Can you replace the marinara with spaghetti sauce?
Karly says
Yep!
Heather says
My kids and I love this recipe! I have made it many times. I leave the garlic out and add more sauce (leftovers are dry if I don’t ) but otherwise I think it’s perfect!
Helen says
My family was estactic over this and wanted me to make it again
Karly says
So glad it was a hit! 🙂
Rose says
This recipe is not only easy to prepare, it is very tasty! You are correct Karly about using cheddar cheese. It gave it just the right twist as I think mozzarella would been too bland. Thank you. Btw, I have prepared many of your dishes and have not been disappointed.
Karly says
Thanks, Rose! I love to hear that and appreciate the review! 🙂
Alison says
I made this on a whim last night because I had a horrible day and wanted something comforting – so, so, so yummy – we all LOVED it (I just didn’t tell the kids there was cottage cheese in there). Thanks for another keeper!
Karly says
Ah, so glad you enjoyed it! Hope it made the day a little better. 🙂
Jeanette says
Can you use another kind of pasta instead of spaghetti?
Karly says
Sure, any shape will be fine.