This baked spaghetti dish is so tasty and always a huge hit! With a combo of ground beef and Italian sausage plus herbs all simmered in a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce plus cream cheese mixture in between layers of pasta, your tastebuds are in for a treat. When company’s coming and I want easy but delicious comfort food, I always rely on this easy and creamy Million Dollar Spaghetti.
If there is one dish my whole family enjoys and always gets requested to be made over and over again, it has to be this delicious version of million dollar spaghetti!
However, it’s not simply just my family who loves this dish but it’s pretty much everyone I’ve made this for, perhaps countless times already. It is my favorite to give to ladies/moms who’ve just given birth and could use some carb-loaded dish to give them extra energy for the sleepless nights ahead. I also love that because it makes such a huge batch, it’s so easy to divide them into containers, freeze and thaw when needed. Such a big help!
Thus, it has become my go-to dish when I wish to help out those who need some food because of some illness in the family, even for those who’ve lost their loved ones, or those who simply needed extra food whatever the reason may be. It is such a wonderful comfort food that everyone loves for sure.
Isn’t sharing food one of the best ways to show love and care? I feel that it is, every time I make this for my family and friends!
FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.
What are the INGREDIENTS for Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti?
- Ground Beef
- Italian Sausage
- Onion
- A little brown sugar, to enhance the flavor
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Dried thyme or dried Italian seasoning
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Tomato Sauce
- Spaghetti
- Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- A little butter, for greasing
- Mozarella or Italian cheese blend, shredded
How do you make Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti?
On medium heat, cook the ground beef and Italian sausage until lightly browned. Add the onion and cook until softened. I don’t add any more oil because the meat would presumably have a little fat in them but feel free to use a little oil if needed.
Stir in the salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, dried thyme or Italian seasoning, spaghetti, and tomato sauce. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste.
As the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite or al dente (not mushy) between 10-12 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the cream cheese and sour cream together. You can use an electric mixer for convenience.
Grease a 9×13 baking dish with some butter. Place half of the cooked spaghetti in the prepared dish spreading them evenly. Top with the cream cheese mixture spreading it evenly over the pasta. Spoon half of the meat sauce all over the pasta. Repeat the layer one more time beginning with the pasta and ending with the shredded cheese sprinkled all over.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and the pasta layers are heated through and bubbly. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with some salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!
NOTE: This can be made ahead and baked later. Just follow all the instructions except the baking portion.
Look at all that cheesy deliciousness on top! I used an Italian cheese blend here, hence the yellowish color. If you prefer plain mozzarella, that works perfectly too. Sometimes, I even add some parmesan to the mix when I am feeling indulgent and that works too. Use your favorite cheese as a topping – the sky’s the limit!
Looking for more easy and delicious recipes to try? Check out these EASY DINNERS.
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Easy and Tasty Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Italian sausage, (casings removed, if in sausage form)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried thyme or dried Italian seasoning
- 24 oz bottle Spaghetti sauce
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 lb spaghetti, uncooked
- 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- butter, for greasing dish
- 2 cups Mozarella or Italian cheese blend, shredded
Instructions
- In medium heat, cook the ground beef and Italian sausage until lightly browned. Add the onion and cook until softened. I don’t add any more oil because the meat would presumably have a little fat in them but feel free to use a little oil, if needed.
- Stir in the salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, dried thyme or Italian seasoning, spaghetti and tomato sauces. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste.
- As the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite or al dente (not mushy) between 10-12 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the cream cheese and sour cream together. You can use an electric mixer for convenience.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish with some butter. Place half of the cooked spaghetti in the prepared dish spreading them evenly. Top with the cream cheese mixture spreading it evenly over the pasta. Spoon half of the meat sauce all over the pasta. Repeat the layer one more time beginning with the pasta and ending with the shredded cheese sprinkled all over.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and the pasta layers are heated through and bubbly. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with some salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Last updated on February 20th, 2024 at 03:15 pm
Baking adds such a nice twist to this spaghetti dish. Thanks for sharing!
It is so hard to resist!!! Everyone at my house loved this easy and tasty Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
for dinner!
This easy and tasty Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti is a great pasta casserole. My family loved it.
I never thought of adding brown sugar to spaghetti before but it made the dish so good!
Delicious comfort food that everyone will enjoy. Perfect for a crowd too.
So many delicious flavours in this baked spaghetti. The whole family loved it!
Baked spaghetti with sausage and cheese, all of my favorite ingredients! Love this spin on classic baked spaghetti.
Such a delicious spaghetti! Sounds incredible with the combination of beef and Italian sausage. My family will love all the cheese too!
The best weeknight family dinner, always a hit!
This easy and flavorful million dollar spaghetti is perfect for my family. Can’t wait to make it.
There is something so comforting about a spaghetti casserole, and this one is definitely million dollar!! YUM!
My family loves it only I use angel hair pasta instead of regular spaghetti noodles and I also mix the angel hair pasta (drained of course) with soft butter and one cup of shredded or shaker style parmesan cheese and I line the baking pan (greased with butter) with all of the pasta mix, instead of cream cheese and sour cream I mix well 4 eggs together with cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. Pour and distribute evenly on top of pasta mixture. Then I put the ground beef and sauce mixture on top of that ending of course with shredded sharp cheddar and/or whatever cheeses you want. Then I bake it covered for 45 min to an hour on 350. I take it out when bubbly. Let rest for 15min then serve with a shaker of parmesan cheese and garlic bread on the side. It’s