The Most Delicious Baked Spaghetti Casserole

A baked spaghetti casserole is not only a perfect comfort food, but it is a great way to use up leftover spaghetti and sauce! Not to mention this is another quick and easy weeknight meal!

I find you can never have too many comfort casserole recipes on hand. They are the perfect dish for potluck’s, family gathering’s, weeknight dinners or just to give a friend/neighbor recouping from surgery or after having a baby.

Pasta is one of the cheapest meals to have, always makes a lot and is super family friendly. I mean what kid doesn’t like pasta? I always seem to have leftovers after a spaghetti dinner. Sometimes I will just eat it cold the next day, but other times I look at that container and think “hmmm what can I do to jazz this up?”

The Method of Baked Spaghetti Casserole

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s made with leftovers so the main work has already been done! My quick and easy Baked Tortellini is very similar to this recipe with both having all the flavors of a lasagne without all the hassle. It is so creamy, cheesy and hearty and you can throw just about anything into it!

Ingredients:

• leftover spaghetti
• leftover sauce
• ricotta cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• parmesan cheese

basic directions:

Add the spaghetti, sauce and ricotta to a large bowl and combine. Transfer to a buttered casserole dish. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and cover with foil.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, remove foil and baked another 10 minutes until the cheesy topping gets golden brown.

Cook’s Notes:

tips for success:

Make sure to cover while baking or the top of the casserole can dry out.

recipe variations:

Try a meat sauce for a heartier dish. I used a hot Italian sausage meat sauce. Shredded chicken or ground beef would be great alternatives.

For a vegetarian twist, use a marinara fortified with red pepper flakes and add tofu or impossible meat.

Clean out the fridge and add in any veggies you have on hand! Mushrooms, onions, peppers or even broccoli.

serving suggestions:

Garlic bread and a nice anti-pasta salad would be great or a side of green beans!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can this be cooked in a slow cooker? Absolutely! Coat the bottom of the cooker with some leftover sauce to keep the casserole from burning. Throw the spaghetti, sauce, ricotta and anything else you desire into the crockpot. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Add the mozzarella and parm cheese and cook another 20 minutes.

What can I use instead of ricotta? Cream cheese or even cottage cheese can be used instead.

Can I freeze this dish? Sure can! This will freeze up to 3 months. I typically put my leftover pasta dishes in freezer safe baggies. They take up less room that way.

The Essentials:

If you make this Baked Spaghetti Casserole and love it, I would love if you would come back, give it 5 stars and leave a comment!