Pasta is always a go-to meal in our house. But, to be honest, plain old spaghetti can get kind of boring!
Million dollar spaghetti casserole is FAR from boring. It is a breath of fresh air from the normal spaghetti casserole.
This scrumptious spaghetti casserole with cream cheese is what makes this stand out from other spaghetti casserole recipes. You might even say this is a favorite six sisters’ dinner!
Looking for another casserole? Try our Cowboy Casserole!
We have a few more favorites that you should try out! Like our baked spaghetti, our easy chicken spaghetti or the fresh spaghetti salad recipe! These are are all wonderfully simple recipes to make.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS MILLION DOLLAR SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE
Ingredients for the spaghetti casserole:
- Spaghetti noodles (uncooked)
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Cottage cheese
- Ground beef
- Spaghetti sauce
- Butter
- Cheddar cheese
If you do not have spaghetti noodles feel free to choose your favorite or use what you have in your pantry and follow its cooking instructions. Also, if you prefer you can substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken.
Items to use
- Large pot
- Medium saucepan
- Strainer
- Turner spatula (similar to THIS one)
- 9×13 pan (I love THIS one! It even has a lid to easily store leftovers.)
- Nonstick cooking spray
LET’S GET COOKING!
For this recipe, you will need to use a large pot and get water boiling. While that is heating up, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once the water has reached a roaring boil, add in the uncooked noodles. Cook the noodles as directed on the package for an al dente finish.
While the noodles are cooking, you need to mix the key to this recipe! Get the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese and mix it all together well in a medium-sized bowl. While the consistency will be lumpy from the cottage cheese do your best to mix it completely.
Then, in a heated saucepan, brown up your ground beef (or meat of choice) until it has been cooked through completely. Using the strainer, you will need to drain the grease from the beef.
Return the cooked meat to the saucepan and add in the jar of spaghetti sauce and mix it together well.
*Once your noodles are done strain them and get ready for the next step*
Now, take your 9×13 pan and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
Layer half the cooked noodles into the bottom of the 9×13 pan. Then, take the cheese mixture and pour it over the noodles and spread it out evenly.
Next, add the rest of the noodles on top of the cheese mix layer and spread the noodles out to cover the pan. Then, slice up the butter and place it on top of the noodles throughout the pan.
Once the noodle and cheese layers have been put together, pour the red meat sauce on top and cover the noodles completely.
With the casserole ready to go, cook it uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the 30 minutes is up, take the casserole out of the oven and cover the whole thing with cheddar cheese. Then return it back to the oven to cook for another 15 minutes.
Once the timer goes off this time the spaghetti casserole will be ready to serve! Be careful, it will be hot.
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE cheesy garlic bread to dip in my spaghetti. If that is you, consider making up this easy cheesy garlic bread recipe from Allrecipes.com.
FREEZING TIPS
Freezing casseroles before baking is totally fine. Actually, you’re less likely to overcook them if you freeze it before baking.
When cooking it from frozen: Expect to add 50% to the cooking time and you might also want to reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Be ready to cover your casserole in aluminum foil so the top doesn’t get too brown. Or you can thaw and bake it as usual.
Related recipe: This John Wayne Casserole is made with ground beef and biscuits for a hearty meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
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Easy Instant Pot Recipe
On our YouTube channel, we love to give you fresh, new, exciting, and easy recipes. With Instant Pot becoming more popular, we have created a wonderfully easy, and delicious recipe that even your pickiest eater will love. Check out this Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe!
MORE PASTA DISHES FOR YOUR DINER ROTATION
Serves: 10
20 minPrep Time
45 minCook Time
1 hr, 5 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles (uncooked)
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 (8 ounce) package cottage cheese
- 1 pound ground beef (you could also use ground turkey)
- 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1/4 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook noodles as directed on the package.
- While your noodles are boiling, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese in a medium-sized bowl until smooth (there might be a couple of bumps from the cottage cheese, but make sure it's all mixed together well).
- Place ground beef in a large skillet and brown until completely cooked through. Drain grease well.
- Pour spaghetti sauce over the meat and mix well.
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.
- Layer half of the cooked noodles in the bottom of the dish. Pour the creamy cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread it around evenly. Next, add the rest of the noodles on top of the cheese mix layer and spread the noodles out to cover the pan. Then, slice up the butter and place it on top of the noodles throughout the pan.
- Once the noodle and cheese layers have been put together, pour the red meat sauce on top and cover the noodles completely.
- Cook it uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the 30 minutes is up, take the casserole out of the oven and cover the whole thing with cheddar cheese. Then return it back to the oven to cook for another 15 minutes.
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thanks!