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million dollar spaghetti in a casserole dish hot out of the oven
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4.98 from 41 votes

Million Dollar Spaghetti

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!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked spaghetti with cream cheese, million dollar baked spaghetti, million dollar spaghetti casserole
Servings: 8
Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

  • 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
  • 1 pound Italian sausage see note
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • 2 (24 ounce) jars marinara sauce
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Cheese layer:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese (1 block Philly) softened
  • 8 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
  • In a medium bowl, add the cheese layer ingredients and stir them together until you've got a nice, smooth mixture. Set aside.
  • Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it 2 minutes less than package directions suggest. Once it's done, drain it and add it back to the same pot it was cooked in.
  • Meanwhile, add the sausage meat to a skillet, along with the onion. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as you go along, for about 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
  • To the skillet, stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute. Spoon out excess fat from the pan.
  • Add the skillet mixture to the pot that has the pasta in it, and then pour in the marinara sauce. Toss until everything is coated (this is easiest to do with tongs or two large spoons).
  • Add half the pasta/sauce mixture to a 9x13 baking dish, then spread it in an even layer.
  • Spread the cheese layer evenly over the pasta/sauce layer. This step can get a little messy. It doesn't have to be done perfectly.
  • Add the remaining pasta/sauce mixture and spread it out evenly, then top the casserole with the mozzarella cheese.
  • Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and broil for a few minutes (watch it carefully) until the cheese is bubbly and browned.
  • Let the casserole sit for 5-10 minutes, then use a spatula to cut it into individual portions. Season with salt & pepper if needed. Note: Especially when it's still hot, you won't get nice, even squares with a perfectly even cheese layer. It'll mix together a bit, but I went for plenty of sauce (especially so leftovers aren't dry).

Notes

  • Use either ground sausage meat or buy sausages and take the meat out of the casings.
  • If you need to soften up the cream cheese in a hurry, pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
  • Feel free to change up the cheese layer a bit... you don't need to stick to the cheeses I suggest. 
  • See process photos within blog post for extra clarity.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 742kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 1799mg | Potassium: 949mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1639IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 393mg | Iron: 4mg