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+ servings
A casserole dish filled with spaghetti and meatballs.
5 from 3 votes

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese

Baked spaghetti with cream cheese is an excellent kid-friendly, weeknight meal that makes for great leftovers!
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 1 hour
Total 1 hour 20 minutes
Fat 45
Carbs 49
Protein 34
Yield 9

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. dried spaghetti noodles
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
  • ½ medium yellow onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 24 oz. jar marinara sauce divided
  • 16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 8 oz. cream cheese softened
  • ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning we used this
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups grated parmesan cheese divided (~2 cups)
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare the spaghetti noodles according to the al dente instructions on the package. When the noodles are done, rinse the with cold water and set them aside.
  • While the spaghetti is cooking, start preparing the Italian sausage. Place a large skillet over medium/high heat and add the olive oil and Italian sausage to the skillet. Cook until almost all of the pink is gone.
    cooking sausage in pan.
  • Next, add the onion and garlic to the Italian sausage. Cook until the onion is translucent (about 2 minutes). Add 2 cups of the marinara to the Italian sausage and heat for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
    meat sauce in pan.
  • Add the ricotta and cream cheese to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the cheeses together until they are light and fluffy (about 3 or 4 minutes).
  • Next, add the Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 cup of grated parmesan to the whipped cheese mixture. Mix until everything is well combined.
    whipped cream in a glass bowl on a white background.
  • Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
  • Add the spaghetti noodles to the Italian sausage mixture. Toss to combine. Transfer the noodles into the greased baking dish.
    spaghetti in casserole dish.
  • Spread the whipped ricotta cream cheese mixture on top of the noodles and then pour the remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce on top and spread to cover.
    ricotta on spaghetti.
  • Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese across the top. Cover with tin foil. And bake for 30 minutes covered. After 30 minutes, remove the cover, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
    baked spaghetti in dish.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Tips & Notes

  • If you use store-bought Italian seasoning you may need to add more salt to this recipe.
  • Skip the Italian sausage to make this a vegetarian dish.
  • Use hamburger instead of Italian sausage. In this case, add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the hamburger while cooking.

Watch it

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 742kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 45g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g