Baked Spaghetti Casserole

A casserole dish with baked spaghetti and meat sauce topped with cheese.

5 from 1 vote

Easy baked spaghetti casserole that uses dried spaghetti noodles that are baked with a hearty, robust ground beef tomato sauce. This is a fantastic recipe to prep ahead of time, meal planning, and an easy weeknight casserole

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked spaghetti casserole, pasta casserole with ground beef, spaghetti casserole

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 660kcal

Author Eileen Murphy Kelly

Equipment

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
8 ounces spaghetti uncooked, broken in half
1 (14.5) ounce can, fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup water divided
1½ Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
15 ounce can, tomato sauce
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
non-stick baking spray
fresh parsley or basil chopped, optional garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. Spray a 9" x 13" casserole dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a large skillet, over medium heat add the ground beef and onions. Use a meat chopper or wooden spoon to break up the beef and cook until the meat is brown and the onions soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir to blend in, 5-6 seconds. Drain and discard any excess grease.
Stir in the tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, ½ cup water, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, salt, and black pepper.
Increase the heat to medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes to blend ingredients.
After the 5 minutes, taste the sauce for seasoning, if needed, adjust any seasoning. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
In the prepared casserole dish, spread the halved spaghetti into the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour the remaining water over the pasta.
Evenly spread the ground beef tomato sauce over the spaghetti. Cover with aluminum foil. (At this point, the mixture can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before baking)
Place the covered casserole into the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove the casserole dish from the oven. Remove the aluminum foil and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top of the meat sauce.
Return the casserole dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven. Sprinkle chopped fresh basil or parsley on the casserole.
Ready to serve.

Notes

Be sure to check Variations, Expert Tips, and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe.

Storage:

Make ahead - You can assemble the spaghetti casserole ahead of time and then store it in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you are ready to bake, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before popping it in the oven.

Storage - Baked pasta with mince will keep well stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
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Nutrition