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–+ servings
baked spaghetti casserole
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4 from 1 vote

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese

It's a baked spaghetti casserole with flavorful meat sauce and cream cheese! Rich, deliciously cheesy, and decadent.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 487kcal
Author: Mella

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 16 oz ground lean beef
  • 32 oz jarred pasta sauce use your favorite, see note 1
  • 1 ½ cup beef broth see note 2
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sugar optional, see note 3
  • red pepper flakes optional
  • 1 small bell pepper green or red, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste

Pasta and Cheese Sauce

  • 16 oz spaghetti
  • ¾ cup lowfat milk
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened, cut into chunks
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese see note 4
  • 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese grated, see note 5
  • chopped parsley for garnish
Cups - Metric

Instructions

Meat Sauce

  • Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook until soft and fragrant.
  • Set heat to high. Add beef and cook until brown. Make sure to break up the beef as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. Pour pasta sauce, beef broth, sugar, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, bell pepper and Worcestershire.
  • Bring to a simmer. Lower heat and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes. If liquid evaporates too quickly, add water. We want it saucy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta, Cheese Sauce

  • Pre-heat oven to 190c/350f.
  • Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water as per package directions, minus 2 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup pasta water then drain.
  • Heat milk in a large pot. Add cream cheese, whisk and cook until smooth. Add in cheddar cheese and stir until smooth. Add pasta and ⅓ of the meat sauce. Stir until spaghetti is thoroughly coated. If it's too thick, just add pasta water ¼ cup at a time to loosen the texture.

Assemble and Bake

  • Option 1: Two shallow baking dishes–make a single layer if using two shallow baking dishes. Spread meat sauce evenly on top then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
    Option 2: One deep large baking dish–assemble in two layers. Spread meat sauce in between layers and on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
  • Loosely cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Bake for another 10 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  1. Pasta Sauce - can be substituted with tomato passata/tomato puree. Add chopped celery, carrots, and more dried herbs. Cook the sauce longer to deepen the flavor.
  2. Beef broth - can be substituted with 2 pc beef bouillon in 1 ½ cup hot water.
  3. Sugar - add if you end up with a sour pasta sauce.
  4. Cheddar Cheese - can also be substituted with parmesan cheese.
Course :Main Course
Cuisine :American-Western
Keyword :baked spaghetti recipe, baked spaghetti with cream cheese

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1034mg | Potassium: 793mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 702IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 359mg | Iron: 3mg