Million Dollar Spaghetti (Printable view)

Baked spaghetti layered with savory meat sauce, creamy Alfredo, and melted cheese for a satisfying meal.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 pound spaghetti

→ Meat Sauce

02 - 1 pound ground beef
03 - 1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 24 ounces marinara sauce
07 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Alfredo Layer

10 - 15 ounces ricotta cheese
11 - 1 cup Alfredo sauce
12 - 1/2 cup sour cream
13 - 1 large egg

→ Cheeses

14 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15 - 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Boil spaghetti until just al dente following package directions. Drain and set aside.
03 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking up with a spoon, until browned. Drain excess fat.
04 - Add diced onion and minced garlic to the meat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
05 - Stir in marinara sauce, dried Italian herbs, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
06 - Combine ricotta cheese, Alfredo sauce, sour cream, and egg in a bowl. Mix until smooth.
07 - Layer half of the spaghetti in the baking dish, spread half of the Alfredo mixture evenly over it, followed by half of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
08 - Repeat with remaining spaghetti, Alfredo mixture, meat sauce, and top with remaining cheeses.
09 - Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
10 - Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is browned and bubbly.
11 - Allow casserole to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of dish that feeds eight people without making you feel like you've been cooking all day.
  • The combination of meat sauce, Alfredo, and melted cheese creates this unexpected richness that keeps people reaching for seconds.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully, which means tomorrow's dinner is already solved.
02 -
  • If your Alfredo layer is too thin or runny, the pasta will soak it up and you'll end up with dry spots—the egg and sour cream in that mixture are what keeps it creamy and bound.
  • Don't use freshly cooked hot spaghetti for the layers, or you'll scramble the egg in the ricotta mixture; let the pasta cool for a few minutes first.
03 -
  • Resist the urge to use fresh mozzarella—it breaks when it gets hot and creates strings instead of melting smoothly, which sounds good until you're actually pulling apart your casserole at the table.
  • Drain your cooked pasta in a colander and let it sit for a minute so it's dry, not slick, before layering, otherwise you'll end up with a watery bottom layer.
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