Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Million Dollar Spaghetti (Creamy Baked Pasta)
Spaghetti and meat sauce get a generous creamy layer in this baked casserole, with golden mozzarella across the top. The tang of sour cream comes through the richness, making the soft pasta underneath especially satisfying to scoop into.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 14 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner · Main course
- Primary protein
- Beef
- Cuisine
- American · Italian
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Stop the pasta early
Pull the spaghetti before it reaches al dente. It keeps softening once it’s tossed with sauce and baked, so a slightly firm start helps it hold up in the casserole.
2. Let the sauce simmer
After the onion, garlic and jarred sauce go in, give the sauce its short simmer. It helps the meat sauce come together before you toss it with the spaghetti.
3. Spread the creamy layer gently
The cream cheese mixture sits on top of the sauced spaghetti, so don’t worry about stirring it through. Use a spatula and spread it evenly over the pasta before adding mozzarella.
Get to know the ingredients
Spaghetti
This uses cooked spaghetti, not dry pasta layered straight into the dish. Cook it in salted boiling water first, and keep it a little firmer than you normally would.
Cream cheese
Softened cream cheese is much easier to break up and mix with the sour cream and seasonings. If it’s still cold, the creamy layer will take more work to smooth out.
Mozzarella
The shredded mozzarella goes on last. Bake covered first, then uncover it so the cheese can finish melting and turn golden on top.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 8 steps completeMake room for Million Dollar Spaghetti (Creamy Baked Pasta)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Let it settle before serving
After baking, give the casserole about 10 minutes to set up. That short rest makes it easier to cut and serve, especially with the creamy layer under the cheese.
A little more help as you go
Toss before layering
Mixing the spaghetti into the meat sauce before it goes in the baking dish keeps the casserole more even. Take a moment to spread the pasta across the whole dish before adding the cream cheese layer.
Keep the foil for the first bake
Covering the dish for the first part of baking helps everything heat through without over-browning the cheese right away. Once the foil comes off, the top gets its golden finish.
A few questions you might have
Why should the spaghetti be undercooked?
It bakes again in the sauce, so fully cooked pasta can end up too soft. Stop while it’s still a little firm and let the casserole finish the job.
Do I mix the cream cheese layer into the pasta?
No. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan and seasonings in a bowl, then spread that mixture over the sauced spaghetti in the baking dish.
When does the oven get turned on?
Set it to 375°F after the sauce and creamy mixture are made, right before you prep the baking dish and toss the cooked spaghetti with the meat sauce.
How do I know it’s done baking?
After the covered bake, remove the foil and keep baking until the mozzarella is melted and golden. Then add the parsley and let the casserole rest before cutting.
Why toss the spaghetti with the meat sauce before it goes into the dish?
It coats the pasta before layering, so the spaghetti is distributed through the casserole instead of sitting in a plain layer under the sauce.
Any more cooking tips?
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 6, with 1 serving being ⅙ of the casserole. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: tastesoflizzyt.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
