User login

Three-Cheese Baked Spaghetti

Recipe Name: 
Three-Cheese Baked Spaghetti
Picture: 
threecheesebakedspaghettiban.jpg
Description: 

Spaghetti pasta tossed with three cheeses, topped with a meat sauce and baked

Yield: 

6 servings

Ingredients: 

Pasta Ingredients:

8 ounces spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese*
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese, optional

Sauce Ingredients:

8 ounces ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 ounces (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese, optional

Instructions: 

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions (al dente). Drain and return to pan (remove from heat though!). Add butter and stir until butter is melted. Add remaining pasta ingredients, stirring to combine. Spread pasta-cheese mixture in the bottom of a greased 8-inch square baking dish.

The bottom layer of three-cheese baked spaghetti

2. Brown ground beef with the garlic and onion. Drain grease and return to pan. Add pepper, spaghetti sauce, sugar, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and then pour over the pasta, spreading evenly. Sprinkle cheese on top if desired.

Three-cheese baked spaghetti, ready to be baked

3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until top cheese is browned and spaghetti is bubbly.

Three-cheese baked spaghetti
Additional Notes: 

*If desired, substitute part of the mozzarella cheese with shredded cheddar cheese.

This recipe is based on "Old Country Baked Spaghetti" from the Little Red Hens blog. Measurements, instructions, and photos are all mine. :)

This recipe was included in my freezer meal plan of main dishes when preparing for the birth of my fourth child. Read my update on how this recipe and the others turned out after freezing!

Preparation Time: 

30-40 minutes

Cooking Time: 

35 minutes

Tammy's Review: 

This is the BEST spaghetti recipe!! When I first made it, I was expecting a so-so easy version of one of our favorite meals. As I was mixing the pasta and cheeses, I tasted some of it, and it was SO yummy! I think I could have eaten the pasta just by itself, before baking. ;)

The original recipe didn't call for the meat and sauce to be baked too, but since my husband doesn't like dry pasta (from being baked uncovered) and I like easy, one-dish baked meals, I decided to make it into a complete "spaghetti and meatball casserole".

It turned out perfectly. At first we thought it might be a little too runny, but as soon as it cooled slightly on our plates, we saw that it was a perfect saucy spaghetti. We tasted it and decided that this is our new way of making spaghetti!

I love that it's a baked meal, since that means I can wash the dishes while the food is in the oven, or make it up ahead of time instead of last-minute, trying to keep the pasta hot and cooking the sauce and meat in another pan.

This recipe is great. Served with a green salad and/or green vegetable and some fresh bread, this meal is perfect for a busy night's dinner or for sharing with guests. My rating: 10/10

Average vote based on 25 reviews.
9.6
out of 10
User Reviews
10
out of 10
Freezer Question

I have a question....if you want to freeze this is it done after step 2 but before step 3?

Thanks so much!



10
out of 10
So simple, easy to do! Friend friendly too!

Made this today, TRUE!
Luckily I put a tray underneath as it slightly bubbled over too!
Did top it with mozzarella cheese!
For my friend's family, this certainly will please!



9
out of 10
Solid go-to week night dinner.

Cooked as is with soy protein crumbles instead of meat. Tasted great. Would only change adding more sauce and only cooking pasta till aldente.



10
out of 10
Delicious

I tried this last night. I made a double batch so I could freeze one and used venison sausage. This was delicious! My ten year old loved it. I am so happy that I have another one ready to go in the freezer. So easy to put together and a real nice change from the same old spaghetti. Thank you Tammy for an awesome recipe!



10
out of 10
Our new spaghetti recipe!

I made this for dinner last night...it was so flavorful! I doubled the recipe so I would have leftovers. I will be making this again!



10
out of 10
It was great!

I made this last night for dinner and it turned out really well. I doubled it and we had a lot (looking forward to eating it again for dinner tonight). I did have a couple of additions/substitutions: For the noodle mixture I added two eggs (since it was doubled) to help bind it together so that it stayed together when cut out of the pan. For the sauce, I used a pack of Birdseye frozen seasoning vegetables (which I keep on hand) in lieu of the onion, and I added a can of diced tomatoes. I also used half ground beef and half Italian Sausage. Instead of buying separate packs of the different cheeses, I used a shredded Italian cheese blend which had mozzarello and Parmesan cheese in it. I originally had bought the ingredients to make regular spaghetti, but when I saw this recipe I decided to try it and stopped on the way home to pick up cottage cheese. I'm glad I did!



10
out of 10
My Family Loves This

I tried this one evening when I was craving a baked pasta dish, but didn't have many ingredients, the first time I made it, I was even lucky enough to have the feta in the fridge. This freezes beautifully and it's become a regular meal that's stocked in my freezer.



10
out of 10
Best. Meal. Ever.

This has been a great dish to make. I usually double it and freeze half of it in a 8x8 aluminum pan. I've made it for countless friends who've needed meal support, and I'm making it for my freezer meal club ladies that I'm meeting with this week. Thanks for such a great recipe!



10
out of 10
One of our favorites!

This is a tasty dish! It's my favorite spaghetti recipe. This is what I make when I am going to take a meal to someone as well. Sooooo flavorful!



10
out of 10
Delicious!

This dish was very tasty and a everyone loved it. Certainly another recip to add to my collection. :)



10
out of 10
Three households approve!

I'm a fan of baked spaghetti and had been wanting to try this recipe for a while. When I was asked to take dinner over to our pastor's house after his wife was in the hospital, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try a little more "dressed up" favorite. I made it up with the three cheeses (topped both pans with more shredded mozzarella) and delivered it to pastor's house with instructions to bake before serving. When I got home we baked our portion and we *loved* it! Like Tammy, I could have eaten the pasta and cheeses all by themselves, but the sauce was nice, too. ;-) My brother's girlfriend ate with us that evening and she enjoyed it so much that she asked for the recipe.

When I saw my pastor a few days later he said, "I don't know what was in that spaghetti, but it was delicious." He said it was great as leftovers warmed up, too. (We didn't get to try that out at our house!) This week my brother's girlfriend made it for her parents and sent word to me that it had been a hit over there, too. Thanks for bringing us great recipes, Tammy! :-)



10
out of 10
Really good

We really liked this cheesy Spaghetti. I used Tinkyada's brown rice gluten free spaghetti and it turned out great. I froze some to make sure the noodles freeze well, and then I will make a huge batch for meals when our baby arrives. Thanks!



10
out of 10
So Delicous!

We all loved this recipe. I don't think our family will ever want plain spaghetti again!! It was so good that I call my mom and step dad up and invited them over next week so I can make it for them. He's a big pasta lover.



9
out of 10
Another Keeper!

This is so cheesy and good! Spaghetti is one of those things that are so easy to toss together that I have burnt my family out on it. So to switch it up, we tried this recipe. They loved it! The only thing I did different was to use 6 ounces of noodles. It made enough for dinner last night and lunch today for our family of four. Thank you Tammy for another superior recipe. DeDe



10
out of 10
Wow!

I made this recipe last night and I loved it! I actually at the leftovers for breakfast this morning. :)
I didn't have cottage cheese or feta cheese, and since I don't like parmesan I just used mozzerella and chedder. It was great!!



9
out of 10
Excellent! A new recipe added to the list

In Laos we don't get cottage so I did it from scratch. It was ok but didn't stop me from trying this recipe. My husband told me that he like good old spaghetti but this so delicious when he cleared the table he told me to make sure to add it to the menu :) Thanks for sharing, Tammy.
God bless you,
Ping



9
out of 10
Very Good

My family enjoyed this. I doubled the recipe and it made a LOT. Next time I'll use my lasagne/roasting pan instead of a 13x9 glass pan. Otherwise, I wouldn't change anything. Thanks.



10
out of 10
Really super yummy spaghetti!!

Please see the recipe above for my complete review! Thanks! ~Tammy



9
out of 10
This is good!

I did not have feta cheese, so I will have to make it again and use the feta next time. Otherwise it was a very good recipe and well received by my dear family and a couple of extra teenagers that were gracing our table! No leftovers!!



8
out of 10
A tasty alternative to regular spaghetti!

I didn't use Feta Cheese with mine and since i doubled it, it could have used some more cottage cheese.



10
out of 10
Outstanding!

I made this for dinner last night, and when it was time to put away the leftovers, there was only one small corner of spaghetti left in the pan! We're not big spaghetti eaters; it's more of a "filler" meal for us in between something else we like better ;), but everyone raved about this recipe. It ended up being two-cheese because I didn't have feta, but I did sprinkle another layer of mozzarella over the sauce. It was not at all dry, either. This recipe will definitely take the place of plain spaghetti in our house!



8
out of 10
Good

This recipe was good, although, in my opinion, you really shouldn't mess with regular, old Spaghetti & Meatballs. That being said, I thought I would try this recipe. I made the night before and placed in the refrigerator. I think this is the best thing to do for pasta bakes since the flavors have a chance to "mingle". This is why spaghetti and lasagna always taste better the second day. If you do refrigerate, set out for about 30 minutes before baking. I doubled the recipe and place in a 9 x 13 pan and did not add Feta Cheese since I didn't have any in the house. Anyway, this was a good pasta bake and it was nice to have a change. Thanks Tammy!



8
out of 10
Yummy...

I made a huge batch of this yesterday since we were having company and because I wanted an extra pan to put in the freezer. Everyone really liked the way it came out. The only thing I really did differently was to use cheddar cheese instead of the mozzarella, just because we like to support the local farmers ; ), and since we love cheddar cheese.



10
out of 10
Wonderful!

This recipe is just what we needed on a snowy, windy night. I used all five of the suggested cheeses. I was a little worried about it being too cheesy, but it had plenty of sauce to balance everything out. We had vegetarian spaghetti sauce and no ground meat. It is really yummy and simple!



10
out of 10
Fabulous

I made this after you posted about the recipe on The Little Red Hen's blog. I made mine pretty much like yours (no feta cheese though), but warmed the sauce in the oven next to the spaghetti, mainly because tomato sauces upset my husband's stomach. I covered both and they came out fine. My husband really doesn't like spaghetti and told me this one was really good, and to please make it again. My daughter loved it too.