Oh yes — Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce 🍝🔥 — classic comfort food that’s cheesy, saucy, and perfect for feeding a crowd. Here’s a solid, home-style recipe that hits all the right notes.
Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Ingredients (6 servings)
For the meat sauce:
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (28 oz / 800 g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (6 oz / 170 g) tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes
For the baked spaghetti:
- 12 oz (340 g) spaghetti
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese (optional for creamy layers)
Instructions
1. Cook the pasta
- Boil spaghetti in salted water according to package instructions until al dente.
- Drain and set aside.
2. Make the meat sauce
- In a large skillet or saucepan, brown ground beef with onions and garlic until cooked through.
- Drain excess fat.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes.
- Simmer 10–15 minutes to thicken and develop flavor.
3. Preheat oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
4. Assemble
- Optional layer method:
- Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom.
- Add half the spaghetti.
- Dollop ricotta or cottage cheese if using.
- Top with half the mozzarella.
- Repeat layers: remaining spaghetti, sauce, cheeses.
- Finish with mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
5. Bake
- Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 10–15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden.
6. Serve
- Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired.
Tips for Best Baked Spaghetti
- Al dente pasta is key — it will cook more in the oven.
- Use part-skim mozzarella for less grease if desired.
- Make it ahead of time: assemble, cover, refrigerate, and bake later — add 5–10 extra minutes if cold from fridge.
Variations
- Vegetable add-ins: mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini
- Cheesy overload: add extra mozzarella inside the layers
- Italian sausage: swap half or all the beef for sausage
If you want, I can also give you a “super quick 30-minute baked spaghetti” version with a creamy shortcut sauce that tastes like it simmered all day.
Do you want me to do that?
