Million Dollar Spaghetti—So Good and So Satisfying!
Got a busy week lined up with not a lot of time to cook? Then you’ll want to read on to learn about a quick and easy casserole that could become a favorite meal-time problem-solver.
I first read about this in BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS. This dish is called “Million Dollar Spaghetti.” Million dollar spaghetti is a baked dish made with layers of spaghetti noodles, ground beef tomato sauce, and a creamy cottage cheese mix. Think of it like lasagna but with spaghetti noodles instead of pasta sheets.
The final dish is cheesy and RICH, hence the name. Thanks to shortcuts, like bottled marinara sauce, you can have the whole thing in the oven with just 20 minutes of prep time. Serve this delicious casserole warm from the oven with garlic bread and a fresh green salad and dinner is on!
And the favorite part for me is that it can be made a day or two ahead. Hence, this makes a terrific buffet dish as well as a yummy busy night dinner. This is also the same recipe for baked ziti, by the way. Meat or no meat, it's a great recipe for any pasta shape you want. This also freezes well!
Finally, you can also make it with the ricotta cheese blend that is typically used for lasagna - ricotta, egg, chopped parsley, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper. But know that that isn’t necessary. This is delicious as is.
One other small change you might consider: try adding half of the mozzarella on top of the layer of ricotta, and the other half on the top layer of pasta. Either way, this is definitely a five-star recipe.
Now the recipe. Since discovering this dish, it’s become a family favorite, whether I’m in a hurry to get dinner on or not. It’s just so good and satisfying!
non-stick cooking spray
1 pound dry spaghetti
2 (24-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
1 pound bulk Italian sausages
8 ounces lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
8 ounces cream cheese softened
8 ounces cottage cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped fresh parsley
grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
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The one secret you need to know is to be sure to cover your dish as it bakes. This keeps the steam in, which the pasta needs to fully cook.
If the idea of making a casserole using dry pasta makes you nervous, then you can do what the pros at www.seriouseats.com does; they do boiling, but simply soak their dry pasta for 30 minutes in a bowl of hot water while they’re prepping the rest of the recipe.
I’ll close with one last push for building a casserole with dry noodles: this is one proven way to avoid an end result that’s a sad, soggy mess of over-cooked noodles. If you haven’t tried this approach before, seriously consider it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the time, muss, and fuss it dodges.
I first read about this in BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS. This dish is called “Million Dollar Spaghetti.” Million dollar spaghetti is a baked dish made with layers of spaghetti noodles, ground beef tomato sauce, and a creamy cottage cheese mix. Think of it like lasagna but with spaghetti noodles instead of pasta sheets.
The final dish is cheesy and RICH, hence the name. Thanks to shortcuts, like bottled marinara sauce, you can have the whole thing in the oven with just 20 minutes of prep time. Serve this delicious casserole warm from the oven with garlic bread and a fresh green salad and dinner is on!
And the favorite part for me is that it can be made a day or two ahead. Hence, this makes a terrific buffet dish as well as a yummy busy night dinner. This is also the same recipe for baked ziti, by the way. Meat or no meat, it's a great recipe for any pasta shape you want. This also freezes well!
Finally, you can also make it with the ricotta cheese blend that is typically used for lasagna - ricotta, egg, chopped parsley, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper. But know that that isn’t necessary. This is delicious as is.
One other small change you might consider: try adding half of the mozzarella on top of the layer of ricotta, and the other half on the top layer of pasta. Either way, this is definitely a five-star recipe.
Now the recipe. Since discovering this dish, it’s become a family favorite, whether I’m in a hurry to get dinner on or not. It’s just so good and satisfying!
Million Dollar Spaghetti
Ingredients:
non-stick cooking spray
1 pound dry spaghetti
2 (24-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
1 pound bulk Italian sausages
8 ounces lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
8 ounces cream cheese softened
8 ounces cottage cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped fresh parsley
grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In an extra-large skillet cook sausage, ground beef, and onion over medium until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Stir in garlic and 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning; cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in both jars spaghetti sauce.
3. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; set aside.
4. Place one half package of dry spaghetti in baking dish.
5. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the dry spaghetti and top with the cottage cheese mixture.
6. Top with the remaining dry spaghetti. Spoon remaining meat sauce mixture over the top and spread to an even layer. Top with remaining 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake covered, for 25-30 minutes. Remove cover and bake 20-25 more minutes until cheese begins to brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
2. In an extra-large skillet cook sausage, ground beef, and onion over medium until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Stir in garlic and 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning; cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in both jars spaghetti sauce.
3. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; set aside.
4. Place one half package of dry spaghetti in baking dish.
5. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the dry spaghetti and top with the cottage cheese mixture.
6. Top with the remaining dry spaghetti. Spoon remaining meat sauce mixture over the top and spread to an even layer. Top with remaining 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake covered, for 25-30 minutes. Remove cover and bake 20-25 more minutes until cheese begins to brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
The one secret you need to know is to be sure to cover your dish as it bakes. This keeps the steam in, which the pasta needs to fully cook.
If the idea of making a casserole using dry pasta makes you nervous, then you can do what the pros at www.seriouseats.com does; they do boiling, but simply soak their dry pasta for 30 minutes in a bowl of hot water while they’re prepping the rest of the recipe.
I’ll close with one last push for building a casserole with dry noodles: this is one proven way to avoid an end result that’s a sad, soggy mess of over-cooked noodles. If you haven’t tried this approach before, seriously consider it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the time, muss, and fuss it dodges.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
