Easy Baked Spaghetti Recipe - On Sutton Place (2024)

This easy baked spaghetti recipe is sure to become a family favorite! It’s kid-friendly, quick, has a meaty sauce, and uses basic ingredients the whole family will love.

This easy baked spaghetti recipe is a Drake family favorite. I’m pretty sure most moms have their own version of this great recipe that they make on a regular basis. It’s got a lot of things going for it…it’s easy, pretty quick, hearty, has simple ingredients, and usually there are leftovers. When my kids were home, I knew I could make this and everyone would eat it. No one complained! All I needed was this baked spaghetti casserole with some garlic bread, and we were ready to eat.

Why This Recipe Works

I’ve been making this dish for so long that I honestly don’t remember how I came up with it. It’s certainly not anything complicated, but sometimes those types of recipes turn out to be the best. Kids love this because there are no weird ingredients, and it’s not spicey. I love using fresh basil when I have it in my garden, and it’s wonderful in this easy baked spaghetti recipe. I chop up about 6 – 8 leaves and throw it in. It adds freshness and a little color.

Ingredient Notes + Tips

• Ground turkey or Italian sausage can be substituted for the ground beef.
• Additions: ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, black olives, chopped onions, red pepper flakes, green peppers, sliced mushrooms, or oregano.
• Penne, shells, elbows, spaghetti noodles, or whole wheat pasta can be substituted for the rotini.
• Store this delicious casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
• For a classic comfort food dinner, serve this spaghetti with a Caesar salad, romaine and apple salad, or fresh fruit. Don’t forget the garlic bread!

How To Make

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions.
• Drain pasta.
• In the same large pot, cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain or pat off any excess fat/grease.
• Pour the pasta sauce into the pot of ground beef.
• Stir and add chopped fresh basil if desired.
• A little at a time, add the cooked pasta to the sauce/beef mixture.
• (You want plenty of sauce because the pasta continues to cook as it bakes.)
• At this point you can put the pasta/sauce mixture into a casserole dish or keep it in the cooking pot.
• Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
• Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until bubbly around the edges.

Can you double this recipe?

Yes! It works well if you need to feed a crowd. A double recipe fits in a 9 x 13 pan, and bakes very evenly. You may need to increase the baking time a little. This baked spaghetti is done when the cheese is melted and it’s bubbling around the edges.

More Main Dish Recipes

• Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe
• Dutch Oven Beef Stew
• Apple Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
• Small Batch Chicken Cobbler Recipe