Million Dollar Spaghetti
Million Dollar Spaghetti is a dish that is sometimes called Faux Lasagna because it’s basically the flavors of lasagna without all of the work. This dinner can totally be made ahead of time and is a great casserole to freeze!
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MILLION DOLLAR SPAGHETTI RECIPE
A couple of weeks ago I went on a cooking spree and made a ton of freezer meals – this being one of them. I used to be anti-freezing for some reason or another but now – freezer meals save me on crazy days. It’s easy to brown up a bunch of beef for the week and then use it in dishes like this.
This dish is layered with a cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream layer that makes it so creamy. I’m not a cottage cheese fan at all and I promise you won’t detect it in there.
My family absolutely loved this one! Layer the ingredients…can I just say that this tastes better than it looks? If that’s possible.The best part about this is that this is completely freezer friendly.
HOW TO MAKE THIS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees ℉. Boil noodles in salted water until al dente.
Drain and toss the hot cooked spaghetti with the butter until melted.
- Arrange half of the spaghetti in a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Combine softened cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream in a medium bowl. Spoon cheese mixture on top of noodles.
Layer remaining noodles on top of the cheese mixture.
- Brown beef and onion in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook for and minute then drain well. Stir in marinara and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon beef mixture over noodles.
- If making ahead, cover will aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. This is also when you could freeze it for a later time.
- Bake covered in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan and bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve with garlic bread and a simple green salad.
OTHER PASTA RECIPES:
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Baked Spaghetti
- Lasagna Soup
- Baked Spasagna
- One-Pan Baked Ziti Skillet
Million Dollar Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb (16 ounces) spaghetti, uncooked
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees ℉. Boil noodles in salted water until al dente. Drain and toss the hot noodles with the butter until melted.
- Arrange half of the noodles in a 9x13 baking dish.
- Combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream in a medium bowl. Spoon mixture on top of noodles. Layer remaining noodles on top.
- Brown beef and onion in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook for and minute then drain well. Stir in marinara and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over noodles.
- If making ahead, cover will aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. This is also when you could freeze it for a later time.
- Bake covered in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan and bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
When I make it again I will use less noodles. I used turkey meat and turkey Italian sausage. It was so good my husband and I loved it.
It amuses me, the number of comments I see in cooking posts in which the author claims they loved a recipe but made so many substitutions, it’s not at all like the original recipe. That said, I had to contend with ingredients I had on hand. I was specifically looking for a way to use my egg noodles and homemade (left over) marinara and this looked like the best option. I didn’t have cottage cheese so I used ricotta and I didn’t have sour cream so I substituted with creme fraiche. Everything else, I had. Once assembled, I cut up and sauteed some Italian sausage (a friend gave me a link because she wanted me to try it) and placed these inch pieces around the top. I would probably assemble it differently but it was delicious. This is a very good in-a-pinch recipe. I wouldn’t recommend the sausage, however.
Thanks for your feedback.
I’ve made this a couple of times for my family. It’s easy to make, and they love it!
Thank you!
We make this without the cottage cheese, and add an egg instead and use med she’ll noodles! But the sour cream and egg are mixed together and poured over the top 😏
That’s supposed to be shell noodles 🤣🤣
Yum!
What can I substitute in place of beef, m a vegetarian…
You could add mushrooms?
This was delicious! It needed the 9X13 pan for sure, not sure how it fit in a smaller pan. I also used a whole plastic container of the Ragu mushroom spaghetti sauce, which I’m sure was more than 1 & 3/4 cup. Instead of the green onions, I used some Tuscan seasoning in the cheese mixture. Was a hit with the entire family! Thanks for sharing!
I stink at making lasagna, so this could be the answer to all my lasagna-related woes! Also, I totally hear you on the parenting thing. I have a daughter who has had allergy/eating issues her whole life and isn’t even on the growth chart. For months before her yearly checkup at the doctor’s, I stress out and feel like I am going to get in trouble!
This is a super recipe – we all loved it. It was easy to make and the leftovers were great too. I had a little trouble fitting in all in the dish … but I managed. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
I love freezer meals because they keep me sane on crazy days! This looks great!!!
This looks comforting and delicious!! xo
What a comforting and delicious pasta bake. I just love easy meals like this for dinner – thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome. It’s good!
Much easier than lasagna! Perfect for a weeknight meal! Thanks!
YUM! I can’t wait to hop on this bandwagon!
I love this! Using the egg noodles instead of the lasagna noodles is a great idea. Definitely pinning so I can try this soon!
I make something similar with frozen ravioli and it’s in regular rotation at our house. I’ll have to try your version.
I like the idea of the ravioli!
Looks like the perfect meal to bring to a new mom! I love dishes like this. Good luck with your parent teacher conference! I’m not looking forward to those. But at least your son is not following through on hw because he’s being NICE to people! I can’t think that this could be a bad thing long term…
Just a little confused on the Faux Lasagna. Do you use sour cream (in the description ) or cream cheese (in the recipe)? Want to try this but want to make it right. Please let me know the right cheese to use.
Thanks,
Kim M.
I think she just references the sour cream in her description, but it is actually using sour cream, cottage cheese and cream cheese (all are referenced in the recipe). I have made something similar and the blend of all those makes for a nice creamy tang that works well with sauce. highly recommend it! I made smaller ones in ramekins and they turned out wonderful too (for smaller portions for freezing).
Kim, Sorry if that was confusing. Like Alyssa said I was just referencing some of the flavors in the description but yes there’s cream cheese and sour cream in the recipe.