After one bite of this million dollar spaghetti, you know you’re getting the royal treatment! This recipe combines a whopping four types of cheese layered with juicy ground beef and tender spaghetti to create the ultimate comfort food.
4-Cheese Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole
Okay cheeseheads, you’re in for a real treat today because this million dollar spaghetti will fulfill all of your cheesy pasta dreams. Layers of noodles are packed between a hearty meat sauce and 4 kinds of cheese to give you one of the most delicious and hearty casseroles to EVER exist.
And to make things even better, this is one of those easy recipes that tastes so good, it almost feels too good to be true. But let me tell you; it is more than good — it’s the BEST. Let’s get cooking!
why you’ll love it!
- There’s plenty of cheese to go around. The whole family will love it!
- It’s a budget-friendly meal that uses basic ingredients.
- A guaranteed crowd pleaser!
- With all the extra flavor, this pasta really does taste like a million bucks!
Million Dollar Spaghetti Recipe Ingredients
- Cottage, cream, & parmesan cheese: these three cheeses are layered into the spaghetti just before baking to make it extra creamy.
- Eggs: egg adds thickness to the sauce while also providing the spaghetti with tons of rich flavor.
- Salt: salt is necessary for bringing out all the wonderful flavors of this family favorite.
- Olive oil: olive oil is a must as it will make sure nothing sticks to your casserole dish. It also adds a great nutty flavor to this baked creamy cheese pasta.
- Ground beef: we used ground beef for this recipe, but any other ground meat works great too!
- White onion: onion of any kind will work in this dish. It helps create a beautiful sauce base, and we just love the flavor.
- Garlic: garlic is one of the most classic flavors of spaghetti. Don’t skip it!
- Italian seasoning: we used this Italian seasoning, and it has salt in it. If you use a different seasoning, you may need to add another 1-2 teaspoons of salt.
- Marinara sauce: we used a jar of marinara sauce to keep this recipe super simple.
- Spaghetti noodles: I love me a good stringy spaghetti noodle. Feel free to use whatever noodle you wish.
- Mozzarella cheese: mozzarella is added right at the end of cooking for the perfect, melty cheese pull in every bite.
Recipe Variations
This million dollar spaghetti recipe is super versatile and can be customized to your liking. Here are a few ways you can make this great recipe your own:
- Go vegetarian: leave out the ground beef entirely or replace it with plant-based meat.
- Use ricotta: swap out the cottage cheese for ricotta if you prefer the flavor!
- Switch up the meat: any ground meat will work! You could do a combination of ground beef and pork for added flavor.
- Swap pasta: this recipe is called “million dollar spaghetti,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t use your favorite kind of pasta.
How to Make Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole
PREHEAT OVEN
Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
PREP PASTA SAUCE BASE
In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, parmesan, eggs, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
COOK MEAT
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When the oil becomes fragrant, add the ground beef and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.
ADD MARINARA
Next, add 24 oz. of marinara to the meat and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat off and set it aside.
COOK PASTA + DRAIN
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 1-2 minutes short of al dente. If the box recommends 10 minutes, cook for 8-9 minutes.
Drain and put it back into the pot. Add the rest of the marinara sauce to the noodles and toss until combined.
ASSEMBLE + BAKE
To assemble, add half of the noodles to the bottom of the baking dish. Then scoop half of the cottage cheese mixture and spread it on top of the noodles.
Layer the rest of the noodles and then the cottage cheese mixture. Top with all of the ground beef and bake for 20 minutes uncovered.
After 20 minutes, top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for another 15 minutes.
REST + SERVE
Allow the spaghetti to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy your cheesy million-dollar casserole!
Serving Suggestions
Serve your million dollar spaghetti with any of the following side dishes to complete your meal! Here are some of our favorites:
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Homemade Mozzarella Sticks
- Panzanella Salad with Burrata
- Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
FAQs
Why is it called million dollar spaghetti?
Million dollar spaghetti gets its name because it’s super rich and decadent in flavor — aka spaghetti that’s like a million bucks!
What is a good way to make large amounts of spaghetti at once?
Bake it! Baked spaghetti like this million dollar spaghetti serves a crowd with minimal effort.
Storage
Store your leftover million dollar spaghetti in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days in the fridge.
Million Dollar Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 16 oz. full-fat cottage cheese
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 3 oz. grated parmesan cheese ~1 cup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. 85% ground beef
- ½ large white onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 48 oz. marinara sauce divided
- 16 oz. spaghetti noodles
- 4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese ~1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, parmesan, eggs, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat and add olive oil. When the oil becomes fragrant, add the ground beef and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.
- Add 24 oz. of marinara to the meat and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat off and set it aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 1-2 minutes short of al dente. If the box recommends 10 minutes, cook for 8-9 minutes. Drain and put it back into the pot. Add the rest of the marinara sauce to the noodles and toss until combined.
- To assemble, add half of the noodles to the bottom of the baking dish. Then scoop half of the cottage cheese mixture and spread it on top of the noodles. Layer the rest of the noodles and then the cottage cheese mixture. Top with all of the ground beef and bake for 20 minutes uncovered.
- After 20 minutes, top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Allow the spaghetti to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips & Notes
- We used this Italian seasoning, and it has salt in it. If you use a different seasoning that doesn’t contain salt, you may need to add another 1-2 teaspoons of salt.
