This million dollar spaghetti recipe has tons of Italian sausage, marinara sauce, and an irresistible cheese filling. It's then topped with even more cheese and baked to golden perfection!

Need something even simpler? Try my Cheesy Baked Spaghetti.

million dollar spaghetti in a casserole dish hot out of the oven

What is million dollar spaghetti?

It's your new favorite pasta bake, that's what! This pasta casserole is a flavor bomb, you guys. Rumor has it that when you try a bite, you will feel like a million bucks. All that Italian sausage and cheesy pasta. It's a carb and cheese lovefest. It's all-out comfort food. This is heaven!

Ok, ok... so this million dollar baked spaghetti does take a little more time to prepare, but it's SO worth it. And it's straightforward to make, not at all complicated! You'll also be saving a few bucks with this fairly inexpensive recipe that easily feeds a crowd.

What goes into this pasta bake

Spaghetti - it's layered in this casserole to give lasagna vibes
Italian sausage - use mild, or hot if you want to bring the heat
Onion and garlic - classic aromatics for a flavorful base
Red pepper flakes - there's not enough to make this really spicy! They give a subtle kick.
Marinara sauce - use a good-quality kind in a jar, or make your own easy marinara sauce if you're feeling ambitious
Mozzarella cheese - all that melty goodness on top!
Cream cheese - either take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting the recipe, or microwave it for 20-30 seconds so that it's nice and soft. This makes things go much more smoothly!
Ricotta cheese - it adds an additional flavorful zip and creaminess to the cheesy inner layer
Parmesan cheese - can you really make an Italian-American pasta dish without parm? I don't think so.
Garlic powder - this infuses additional garlic flavor directly into our cheese filling
Oregano - I love adding a classic Italian herb to complement the cheeses

How to make it

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

mixing cheeses in a glass bowl next to a skillet with crumbled sausage

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a bowl add the cream cheese, ricotta, parmesan, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Stir it together until smooth, and set aside. Meanwhile, brown the sausage with the onions. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and salt & pepper. Drain any excess fat.

a pot of cooked spaghetti and then adding sausage mixture and marinara sauce to it

Boil your pasta. Drain and add back into the same pot. Add in the skillet sausage mixture and marinara sauce.

adding the first sausage, sauce, and cheese layers to a casserole dish for million dollar spaghetti

Add half of the pasta mixture to the baking dish and spread in an even layer. Spread the cream cheese mixture from the bowl to make the delicious inner cheese layer.

adding the final meat and cheese layers to the casserole dish

Add the rest of the pasta mixture to make another layer. Top with the mozzarella, and bake until bubbly, hot, and golden!

Substitutions and variations

Swap the sausage for ground beef if you prefer, or use a 50/50 mix. I used a 5-pack of Johnsonville mild Italian sausages for this recipe, but you can use ground sausage meat if that's easier. Anything up to about 2 pounds will work.
Craving more heat? Up the quantity of red pepper flakes and/or use hot Italian sausage.
You can play around with the middle cheese layer if you wish. Try cottage cheese if you don't have ricotta, for example, add mozzarella to the middle layer, leave one of the cheeses out if you need to, or use a different herb blend. The cheese layer is fairly tangy from the cream cheese and ricotta.
Try swapping the mozzarella topping for a mozza/cheddar blend.

Make ahead tips

Simply assemble the casserole up to a day ahead, refrigerate, and then bake according to instructions below. You may need to add a few more minutes onto the baking time to ensure the middle is nice and hot.
To freeze: assemble it in the casserole dish, and then cover it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw for 24 hours in the fridge, then bake it as directed. If you need to bake it from frozen, it'll take a bit longer, so bake it (covered with foil) until the middle is hot, then broil the cheese at the end.
Don't put a freezing cold ceramic casserole dish straight in the oven, though, as there's a chance it'll crack. I'd let it warm up a bit on the counter first!

Tools for this recipe

I use these tongs for all sorts of recipes, including this one, and I grated the parmesan with my Microplane zester/grater.
I recommend using a fairly deep 9x13 or similar size casserole/lasagna baking dish for this recipe.
It should work to halve all ingredients and make it in a 8x8 baking dish if you want a smaller quantity.

the best million dollar spaghetti on a plate

Leftovers and storage

Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge. However, the longer you leave them, the less firm the pasta will get, so I'd try to eat them within a day or two.
Reheat in the microwave or in a covered saucepan on low heat.
I wouldn't recommend freezing leftovers.

What to serve with this casserole

Extra cheesy garlic bread, a slice of crusty bread, or breadsticks would go great.
A side salad also is a great choice! Try making my homemade Caesar dressing, creamy balsamic dressing, or even this chipotle ranch dressing to mix it up.

More baked pasta recipes

Questions about this million dollar spaghetti casserole? Have you ever tried it? Let me know in the comments below!

Million Dollar Spaghetti