One of my most requested meals by friends, family and my kids’ friends!! This spaghetti casserole takes about 45 mins to prep, but you need to refrigerate for at least an hour, so it’s the perfect make-ahead meal. I often will make this the day before, cover & refrigerate overnight, simply add the rest of the marinara sauce and cook when I’m ready to serve.
Of course, I love to set the table to match my food, so my Italian pottery is a great compliment to this meal. Here’s the link to see the entire table setting:
I usually serve my Million Dollar Spaghetti with a crisp Caesar salad, freshly baked baguette and a lovely red wine like a Barolo.
Here’s the recipe:
Million Dollar Spaghetti
One of my best crowd-pleasers! Easy to transport, easy to make-ahead – this dish is a go-to in my home. Great for leftovers!
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz package Thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 1 24 oz. jar Marinara sauce
- 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
- 1 16 oz. container cottage cheese
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning blend
- Salt & Pepper
- 10 Basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to directions, drain.
- In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese & sour cream.
- In a large skillet, brown meat on medium heat until just cooked through. Turn off heat, drain excess liquid, return to skillet.
- Add spices and 1 cup of the marinara sauce to meat. Stir.
- In a buttered (or use non-stick spray) 13 x 9 casserole dish, add 1/2 of pasta to bottom.
- Next, spread cream cheese/cottage cheese/sour cream mixture on top.
- Layer with remaining pasta.
- Next, add the meat on top.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You can refrigerate overnight here.)
- When ready to put in oven, add remaining marinara sauce on top and cook for at least 30-45 minutes or until bubbly.
- Add Parmesan cheese on top, and put back in oven for a few minutes.
- Let sit for 10 minutes, add torn basil on top. Serve.
