Description
Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole brings comfort straight from your grandma’s kitchen to your dinner table. Creamy layers of pasta, ground beef, and cheese create a hearty meal that’ll have your family asking for seconds.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 package spaghetti (16 oz)
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce
Dairy Components:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ lb cottage cheese (1 cup)
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- Grated cheddar cheese
Creamy Additions:
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by placing ½ stick of butter slices across the bottom.
- Cook 16 oz of spaghetti in boiling water until al dente, then drain completely.
- Mix 8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, and 1 cup cottage cheese in a bowl until smooth and well combined.
- Brown 1 lb ground beef in a skillet, carefully draining any excess fat after cooking.
- Combine the browned beef with 1 jar of spaghetti sauce, stirring until evenly mixed.
- Spread half of the cooked spaghetti noodles across the butter-lined baking dish.
- Carefully distribute the cream cheese mixture over the first layer of noodles, ensuring even coverage.
- Add the remaining spaghetti noodles on top of the cream cheese layer.
- Dot the top of the noodles with remaining ½ stick of butter slices.
- Pour the meat and spaghetti sauce mixture evenly over the entire casserole.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, allowing the casserole to heat thoroughly.
- Remove from oven and generously sprinkle grated cheddar cheese across the top.
- Return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes until cheese melts and turns slightly golden.
Notes
- Use room temperature cream cheese to ensure a smooth, lump-free mixture when blending with sour cream and cottage cheese.
- For a lighter version, swap ground beef with ground turkey or plant-based meat alternative to reduce calories and fat.
- Let the casserole rest for 10-15 minutes after baking to help it set and make cutting and serving easier.
- Salt and pepper the ground beef while cooking to enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 800
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 50 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg