Baked Spaghetti

By Lidey Heuck

Updated September 30, 2025

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
1½ hours, plus cooling
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1¼ hours
Rating
4(1,622)
Comments
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This comforting baked pasta feeds a crowd and is an easy way to upgrade everyday spaghetti with meat sauce. Once baked, the spaghetti casserole slices into neat squares, and the layer of ricotta and Parmesan filling give it the rich flavor of a lasagna. Feel free to play around with the recipe, swapping in Italian sausage or ground turkey for the ground beef and sautéing leftover vegetables and adding them to the sauce. If you’re planning in advance, you can assemble the casserole (through the end of Step 6) and store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to bake.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

  • 1 pound spaghetti 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 5 cloves)

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried

  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano, plus more for serving

  • ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

  • 1 pound ground beef (at least 85-percent lean)

  • 1 (32- to 35-ounce) jar marinara sauce 

  • ½ cup fresh basil or parsley leaves, chopped, plus more for serving

  • 1 cup/8 ounces ricotta cheese

  • ¾ cup grated Parmesan 

  • 1 large egg 

  • 2 cups/8 ounces shredded low-moisture mozzarella

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

58 grams carbs; 121 milligrams cholesterol; 681 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 34 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 5 grams fiber; 904 milligrams sodium; 34 grams protein; 8 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until 1 minute shy of al dente.

  2. Step 2

    While the water comes to a boil, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, oregano, red-pepper flakes, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Turn off the heat and stir in the marinara sauce and basil. Drain the spaghetti, add it to the sauce and toss well.

  5. Step 5

    In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, ½ cup of the Parmesan, the egg and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix with a fork until smooth.

  6. Step 6

    Transfer half the pasta and sauce to the prepared baking dish and smooth it into an even layer. Dollop the ricotta mixture onto the pasta in large spoonfuls, then sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella on top. Add the rest of the pasta and sauce to the pan, again smoothing it into an even layer.

  7. Step 7

    Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan on top, then bake, uncovered, until the mozzarella has melted, 5 to 10 minutes more.

  8. Step 8

    Cool for 5 minutes, then serve with more chopped basil, a pinch of dried oregano and more red-pepper flakes, if desired. Slice the baked spaghetti into large squares and serve hot or warm.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,622 user ratings
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Comments

Zapes

Classic! Whenever I use marinara from a jar, I rinse the jar out with 1/2 cup of red wine, which I add to the sauce. It transforms any off-the-shelf marinara.

Janet

I've been doing something similar for years using penne pasta, not spaghetti. Layer with marinara on the bottom, 1/2 lb. of par-cooked pasta, browned sausage, seasoned ricotta/mozzarella mixture, another layer of penne, marinara, mozzarella, and grated pecorino Romano. It beats wrestling with lasagna noodles and tastes just as good!

Margaret

My mother and my aunts of Sicilian ancestry, living in the coal region of Northeastern PA, would bring this dish to every summer picnic. We called it baked macaroni. All forms of pasta were considered macaroni and the word pasta was never heard in our homes. And we made the meat sauce from scratch. I have to say there is nothing better than this for comfort food.

MF

I liked this, admittedly with some changes: Used 12oz gluten-free spaghetti Used a 24oz jar of spaghetti sauce plus a 15oz can of diced tomatoes (drained) Browned the beef, drained the fat, then added spices/garlic (skipped the onion because someone forgot to buy onions) Made the sauce in a Dutch oven, added cooked spaghetti, then just made divots in the spaghetti and blopped the cheese mixture in. Why wash an extra dish?

jen

Pretty tasty. I’m trying to eat less meat and this recipe did not miss the meat. Everyone of my picky people ate it.

Matthew E

Any suggestions on cooking time and temp if I make ahead and refrigerate?

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