Baked Spaghetti

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Baked Spaghetti is a great twist on your regular spaghetti dinner.  If you love cheese, this will become one of your favorite dinner recipes!

This recipe is one my families favorite dinners! We originally had this dinner at a local restaurant.  On their menu it is named Spaghetti Parm.  It is basically spaghetti noodles and sauce with mozzarella cheese melted over it…Ohhhh  it’s so good!

Why make Baked Spaghetti over regular spaghetti?  One word…cheese.  If you love cheese, this is the dinner for you!

When I make this recipe for my family, I use my easy recipe for crockpot spaghetti.  It’s a great recipe because you put all the ingredients in your crockpot and it simmers all day.

However, if you are short on time,  you can still make this recipe by using a jar of sauce from the grocery store. If you are using jar sauce, warm it in a pot on the stovetop on low to medium heat.

This can be made as individual plates or in a large baking dish like a 13 x 9 pan. If you are using dinner plates, just make sure they are oven safe. 

Why use individual plates when baking?  This way is easier to serve it and everyone gets equal (or at least close to it) melted mozzarella cheese.  It also looks prettier when served on a plate. 

We have made it both ways by using individual plates and a large serving dish.  It will work out both ways, so use which ever works best for you.

How to make Baked Spaghetti:

Prepare your spaghetti sauce.  As I mentioned, I make my spaghetti sauce in the crockpot. If you want to use that easy sauce recipe you can find it here.  I love how easy it is to make it that way and it tastes delicious after the flavors have mingled in the crockpot all day.

How to prepare your meat for the sauce:

Instead of making meatballs, I like to cook the beef in my skillet  and dice it into small pieces and then add it to my sauce. I use a spatula or large spoon to break up the beef while it is cooking.  

Cook the beef on medium heat, stirring often, until it is browned.  Drain off the excess fat.

Once the beef is cooked, add it to the crockpot (if using my crockpot spaghetti recipe).  Make sure you read the full recipe for the crockpot spaghetti before making the baked spaghetti if you are using that recipe.

If you are using a jar of sauce, add the cooked meat to a pot with the sauce and let it warm up on low to medium heat.  You might want to add a little garlic powder to the sauce for added flavor (I love garlic, how about you?). 

If you prefer making meatballs, here is a great recipe to make them. 

Once the sauce and meat are both prepared, cook your spaghetti noodles following the directions on the box.  Each box varies, so make sure to follow the directions on the box.  We like to use whole grain pasta for this recipe.

How to bake the Spaghetti:

After you have all the ingredients ready, preheat your broiler to high heat.  Place the rack in the middle of the oven.

Place the cooked noodles in a large serving dish or oven safe dinner plates. Then generously cover the noodles with the spaghetti sauce until all the noodles are covered.   Completely covering the pasta will prevent the noodles from drying out while under the broiler.

Sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese over the sauce. 

Generously add the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce. It is hard to give a measurement for the mozzarella cheese because it all depends on the size of your dish that you will be using.

Place the dish in the middle of the oven and broil it for one and a half minutes. (If you are doing individual plates you can put more than one in at a time.)  Make sure to place the plates/baking dish directly under your broiler.

The cheese will melt and brown slightly. Be very careful taking the dish out as it will be hot!

You can always add more sauce to each individual serving …depending on how much sauce you like.

How long does it take to make this recipe?

When making this recipe for Baked Spaghetti, I use my recipe for Crockpot Spaghetti to make the meat sauce.  If you are doing this as well, the meat sauce prep takes about 30 minutes and it will cook in the crockpot on high for 4-6 hours.  

By cooking the sauce all day in the crockpot, the flavors mingle and give you a delicious spaghetti sauce! 

Short on time? Then you can use a jar of spaghetti sauce from the grocery store. Just brown the beef or make meatballs and add to your sauce.  If you make the recipe that way, it will take about 30-40 minutes.  

How to serve Baked Spaghetti:

If you are making it on individual plates, you can serve it right from the oven to the table.   Just be careful as the plates will be hot.

If you are making the baked spaghetti in a baking dish, it is a good idea to serve it using a slotted spatula.  Sometimes there can be excess moisture at the bottom of the pan.  This way you are draining off any excess and the sauce will not be as runny.

Garnish with fresh herbs like oregano or basil if you want to add a little something to your finished dish.  

Great side dish recipes to go with this are a side green salad and/or garlic bread.  

Looking for a meatless dinner?  This can be made as a meatless dinner by omitting the beef.  

Did you make this recipe?  If so, please comment and rate the recipe below.  Thanks so much!  Also, follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for all of my recipes!

5 from 2 votes

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Baked Spaghetti

This is a great twist on your regular spaghetti dinner.  It makes a nice family dinner recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Baked Spaghetti, Spaghetti recipe, Easy pasta dinner, Crockpot dinner recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Jeannie Z

Ingredients

• Spaghetti noodles, whole grain I use half of 12 ounce box for my family of four
• Spaghetti sauce, using my crockpot spaghetti recipe You can use a jar of sauce if you prefer
• Grated Parmesan cheese (to sprinkle over the sauce)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (may use more or less depending on how much cheese you like)
• Fresh herbs to garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Prepare spaghetti sauce by using my recipe for Crockpot Spaghetti (or you can use a jar of sauce from the grocery store.)   

2. Cook the beef in a skillet on medium heat until the meat is browned. Drain off excess fat. Place the cooked beef into your crockpot or pot, depending on how you are cooking your sauce. Again, if you are using my Crockpot Spaghetti sauce recipe, refer to that recipe for full list of directions.

3. Once you have the sauce ready, cook the spaghetti noodles as directed on package.

4. Preheat broiler to high heat.

5. Place cooked noodles in a baking dish or individual serving dishes. Cover generously with spaghetti sauce.

6. Sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese over the sauce. Spread a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese over sauce.

7. Place in middle of oven  and broil for 1½ minutes.

Recipe Notes

• When making this recipe for Baked Spaghetti, I use my recipe for Crockpot Spaghetti to make the meat sauce.  If you are using that recipe, the sauce cooks on high in the crockpot for 4-6 hours.  
• If you are short on time, you can use a jar of spaghetti sauce and brown the beef or make meatballs.  If you make the recipe that way, it will take about 30-40 minutes.  
• When covering the pasta with the sauce, make sure to completely cover the pasta so that the noodles do not dry out while cooking under the broiler.
• If you prefer to make this a meatless dinner recipe, just omit the beef in your sauce.
• If making this on dinner plates, be careful as the plate will be hot coming right from the oven.

 

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Update Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2015, but was published again in 2020 to include step by step directions and new photos.