Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole
Million dollar spaghetti layers al dente noodles, a whipped cream cheese, ricotta and sour cream stripe, and a beefy tomato sauce under melted cheddar and Jack.One dish, 55 minutes, eight generous squares. It assembles a day ahead and freezes for three months.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 ounces spaghetti cooked to just al dente
Beef and Tomato Sauce
- 1 pound ground beef 85% lean
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 24 ounces spaghetti sauce jarred or homemade
- salt and black pepper to taste
Cream Cheese Layer
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 green onions thinly sliced, divided
Topping
- 2 cups shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack blend or any melty blend
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley optional, for serving
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet
- Mixing bowls
- 11x7 inch baking dish
- Foil
Instructions
Boil the Spaghetti
- Cook the spaghetti in well-salted water until it is just al dente, a full minute short of the package time. Drain it and toss with a spoonful of oil so it does not stick together.
Build the Meat Sauce
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef with the diced onion until browned. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds, then drain off the excess fat.
- Pour in the spaghetti sauce, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes so the flavors come together. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Whip the Cream Cheese Layer
- Beat the softened cream cheese on its own until it is completely smooth, then beat in the ricotta and sour cream until the mixture looks like thick frosting. Season with salt and pepper and fold in three quarters of the sliced green onions.
Layer the Dish
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread the drained spaghetti across the bottom, then smooth the cream cheese mixture over the noodles right up to the edges. Spoon the meat sauce evenly over the top.
- Scatter the shredded cheese blend across the whole surface.
Bake and Rest
- Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
- Rest the dish for 10 minutes so the cheese layer sets, scatter the reserved green onions and the parsley over the top, and cut into squares.
Notes
Beat the cream cheese first. Whip it smooth on its own before the ricotta and sour cream go in, or it never breaks up and you get white lumps instead of a clean stripe.
Spread it to the edges. Any gap lets the meat sauce run down into the noodles and the layers muddle together.
Make-ahead. Assemble the dish, cover it and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered bake if it goes in cold.
Freezing. Freeze it baked or unbaked, wrapped in plastic and then foil, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating covered at 350°F until bubbling.
Storage. Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and cut more neatly cold than hot. Reheat covered at 325°F for about 20 minutes.
Variations. Swap half the beef for Italian sausage, use cottage cheese in place of ricotta, or brown a pound of mushrooms instead of the meat for a meatless pan.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 898mg | Potassium: 614mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 820IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 370mg | Iron: 3.2mg