This baked spaghetti recipe creates a scrumptious hybrid between lasagna and spaghetti. It features layers of tender spaghetti, juicy tomato sauce, savory beef, and creamy cheese, baked to heart-melting perfection.
As colorful and intense as this dish looks, it’s not all that difficult to make. The ingredients need minimal preparation, and they come together in a flash. With a bit of time and effort, you can make a vibrant and eye-catching dish that will feed the whole family for days to come.
Is Baked Spaghetti Healthy?
It might not seem like it at first glance, but as we paid special attention to the ingredients and their amounts, our baked spaghetti is actually quite a healthy dish. Even though it’s covered in cheese, this dish only contains 1 oz each of mozzarella and cheddar.
This recipe uses 85% lean ground beef, i.e. 15% fat—a fairly low amount. Additionally, along with various vitamins and minerals, this type of beef is relatively high in protein. We also used homemade tomato sauce, which may help to boost your gut health.
Each serving contains 469 calories, which takes up between 17% – 23% of the recommended daily intake set by our health guidelines. Along with the moderation of the ingredients, this dish only has 7.1 g saturated fat and 573 mg sodium.
Ingredients You Will Need
This baked spaghetti’s ingredients consist of everything you’d normally find in a typical lasagna, but with spaghetti instead of sheet pasta, and resembling something of a Spaghetti Casserole.
- Beef: We used ground beef for this recipe, which adds a lot of texture and gives each bite an exciting chewy experience. To ensure the dish is of the best quality, choose ground beef in which the meat is bright red and the packaging doesn’t have a lot of excess liquid.
- Tomato Sauce: Our recipe uses a homemade tomato sauce that takes around 15 minutes to whip up. Of course, you can use your preferred store-bought variety, but we find that homemade sauce produces a fresher and more vibrant flavor.
- Tomato Paste: In addition to the sauce, we also added some tomato paste for extra intensity of flavor. See our Vegan Spaghetti and Pasta Puttanesca for more recipes that incorporate our homemade tomato sauce.
- Spaghetti: Feel free to use your go-to spaghetti variety for this recipe. You can, however, also try out this recipe with other types of pasta, preferably long ones like fettuccine, bucatini, or linguine.
- Cheese: We used cheddar and mozzarella to give this dish a cheesy appearance and consistency. The cheddar has tangy and earthy notes that are wonderfully softened by the mozzarella’s milky and delicate taste. When melted, they infuse the remaining ingredients with this deliciously addictive flavor combination.
- Gravy Mix: We used a small amount of gravy mix to season the beef, enhance its savory taste, and add a hint of vegetable aromas.
- Vegetables and Herbs: A small amount of onion, garlic, and thyme was used to add a subtle but sharp flavor profile to the dish. The onion, in particular, also adds some texture diversity with its delectable crunchiness.
- Seasonings: In addition to the staple salt and pepper, we added a pinch of paprika to subtly spice things up.
How to Store and Reheat
This baked spaghetti should last for up to three days when refrigerated. When reheating, loosely cover the dish in foil and bake at 350°F for 10 – 15 minutes.
How Long Is Spaghetti Good for in the Fridge?
If you accidentally cooked more spaghetti than necessary, don’t throw it away just yet. You can still store it away for later use. Here is some basic information on how long it lasts and how to store it:
- Shelf Life
Cooked spaghetti, and pasta in general, should last between 3 – 5 days in the fridge. However, its shelf life will likely be shorter if mixed with the sauce, especially the cream-based sauce. If possible, keep the sauce separate so you can better preserve the pasta and the sauce.
- Storage
You can store cooked pasta in airtight containers or sealable bags. Be aware – the pasta must be completely cool before you place it in storage. Make sure the container in use is properly closed to prevent any moisture from being exposed to the air and growing mold or bacteria.
Before storing, you can drizzle a little oil or toss the pasta with some butter to keep the strands from sticking to one another. A teaspoon or two should do the trick.
What to Serve With
As sizable as this dish is, there’s still room for a side dish if you’re serving it as a full family meal. We recommend a leafy green salad to keep the palate light and refreshed. Here are a few of our recipes that you should check out:
- Kale Salad Recipe
- Spinach Salad Recipe
- Burrata Salad Recipe
- Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
- Beet and Feta Cheese Salad Recipe
How to Make Baked Spaghetti
This baked spaghetti recipe creates a scrumptious hybrid between lasagna and spaghetti. It features layers of tender spaghetti, juicy tomato sauce, savory beef, and creamy cheese, baked to heart-melting perfection.
- cook TIME 30 mins
- prep TIME 12 mins
- total TIME 42 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 469 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 14 oz cooked spaghetti (from 7 oz raw)
- 8 oz 85% lean ground beef
- 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste
- 1 oz cheddar cheese
- 1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 oz onion (diced)
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1 tbsp brown gravy mix
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Cook the Spaghetti: Bring water to a boil in a large pot, then add the spaghetti. Check the packaging for the specific water amount and cooking time. It usually takes around 8 - 12 minutes to cook spaghetti.
Mince the Garlic: Separate the cloves, and crush them with the middle part of a chef’s knife’s flat side to facilitate considerably easier peeling then place the peeled cloves under the knife’s edge.
Dice the Onion: Slice the onion in half. Lay one of the halves flat on the chopping board. With the knife pointed toward the root, thinly slice the onion, then push the knife crosswise through it. Hold the sliced bits together with your non-dominant hand and cut them lengthwise into tiny cubes.
Cook
Sauté the Herbs and Veggies: Over medium-high heat, sauté 1 tbsp garlic with 1 tbsp olive oil for 30 seconds, then add 2 oz onion and 1 tsp thyme, and continue stirring for around 1 minute until fragrant.
Sauté the Beef with Tomato Paste: Proceed to add 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste, quickly stir for 30 seconds, then add 8 oz 85% lean ground beef and continue sautéing for 5 minutes until the meat is golden brown.
Season the Beef: While sautéing, add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tbsp brown gravy mix, and 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, and stir around to season the beef.
Add the Sauce and the Broth: Add 1 cup homemade tomato sauce to the seasoned beef, stir around, then pour 1 cup unsalted chicken broth in and let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the Spaghetti: Turn off the heat, add the 14 oz cooked spaghetti to the pan and stir until thoroughly coated.
Pour the Mixture into a Baking Dish: Evenly dispense the cooked food into a baking dish. Make sure the dish is deep enough so it isn’t filled to the brim and spills over during the baking process.
Bake the Mixture: Preheat the oven to 400°F, wait for several minutes for the oven to heat up, then put the baking dish in and bake for 15 minutes.
Add the Cheese: Remove the baking dish, sprinkle 1 oz cheddar cheese and 1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese over the top, then bake at 450°F for another 5 minutes.
Garnish and Enjoy: Remove the baking dish, garnish with 2 tbsp parsley, then serve hot.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- MandyltThis baked spaghetti is a comforting and delicious meal.