Last Updated 08-02-2024
BAKED SPAGHETTI LASAGNA — Hearty baked spaghetti in a creamy mozzarella and ricotta base, topped with a flavorful sausage marinara sauce.
I never share a recipe here that wasn’t a success with myself or my family. But every once in awhile I make something that my family really, really loves.
This Baked Spaghetti Lasagna was one of those recipes. As my boys would say, it was epic!
As the name suggests, this dish is a cross between a creamy, cheese baked spaghetti and a hearty, meat filled lasagna. If you’re looking for a crowd pleasing dinner, this is the recipe for you!
The spaghetti portion of this dish is loaded with mozzarella and ricotta cheese. It’s baked until firm, then sliced and topped with a hearty marinara based meat sauce.
I like to top mine off with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and some fresh basil.
I used Italian sausage in my meat sauce, but ground beef or even a combination would work great too! You could even do a vegetarian sauce.
It’s going to be amazing no matter what you add to your marinara.
I love how the spaghetti portion of this dish slices up so beautifully. It makes for a great presentation! And if you need to feed a crowd, this spaghetti lasagna will definitely do the trick.
It makes a 9 x 13 pan, but because it’s such a rich, dense dish, you can serve smaller portions and feed more people than you might expect.
Next time a need to take something to a potluck, this hearty pasta dish is what I’m bringing!
All you need is a green salad and some crusty bread on the side and you’ve got a dinner your family and friends will rave about. And the leftovers are pretty great too!
Be sure to save this Baked Spaghetti Lasagna recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Tips for Cooking Pasta
Use a big pot: Cook pasta in a large pot–big enough to hold 6 quarts of water per pound of pasta.
Salt: Generously season your cooking water with salt. A few teaspoons per quart of water is a good place to start. Although a little more or less is fine, depending on your preference.
Don’t overcook: Boil your pasta to until it is al dente, which means it’s cooked, but still a bit chewy. You’ll want to test your pasta for flavor and texture every 20 seconds or so during the last few minutes of cooking.
If you’ll continue cooking the pasta in a sauce, or baking it in the oven, remove the pot from the heat a few minutes before it’s done to prevent overcooking.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Baked Spaghetti Lasagna
- Spaghetti
- Mozzarella cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Sour cream
- Cream cheese
- Half and Half
- Parmesan cheese
- Spices: Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
- Produce: garlic, onions, fresh basil
- Oil
- Italian sausage
- Jarred spaghetti sauce
Baked Spaghetti Lasagna
Ingredients
For the spaghetti:
- 16 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- 4 cups 16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce:
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 23.5 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until just tender; drain.
- In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, cream cheese, half-and-half, mozzarella, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Add cooked spaghetti and toss until well coated.
- Pour the spaghetti mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Top spaghetti with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- While the pasta is baking, prepare the meat sauce. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sausage and saute until the meat is cooked through and the onion is translucent. Add spaghetti sauce, adjust for seasoning, and simmer until the pasta is ready.
- Remove the pasta from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the pasta into squares and top each serving with the meat sauce. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Nutrition
Never miss a Let’s Dish Recipe:
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter
If you love this recipe, you might also like:
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Cheesy Gnocchi and Sausage Skillet
Tender gnocchi pasta with Italian sausage and cheese cooks up in one skillet for a quick and easy meal!
Easy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake
Pasta and chicken in a creamy cheese sauce, loaded with spinach, peppers and fresh herbs. An easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love!
Baked Chicken Spinach Spaghetti
This rich and creamy baked pasta dish features chicken, spinach and spaghetti in a cheesy Alfredo style sauce. It's comfort food the whole family will love.
Best Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Ground beef and tomato sauce, simmered in the slow cooker with garlic and plenty of seasonings makes this the tastiest spaghetti sauce you'll every try!
Tex Mex White Chicken Spaghetti
Spaghetti in a spicy white cheddar cheese sauce, with chicken, diced tomatoes and cilantro.
Three Cheese Garlic Noodles
Spaghetti is tossed in a creamy garlic sauce with Parmesan, mozzarella and fontina cheese in this easy pasta recipe that even picky eaters love!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Rigatoni
Chicken is slow cooked in a creamy buffalo sauce, then paired with rigatoni pasta and topped with blue cheese crumbles and chopped green onion in this hearty dinner favorite.
Classic Southern Mac and Cheese
With two kinds of cheese, crispy bacon, and a crunchy breadcrumb topping, this class macaroni and cheese recipe is the ultimate comfort food.
Who Dished It Up First: Cassie Craves
Michael Hickey
I baked it and I have to bake it tomorrow again :)) Thanks for sharing!
Margaret Brown
I normally wouldn’t be interested in making a dish like this cause there’s too much leftover, but I’m having a dinner party in a couple of days and this is just the recipe I needed. I feel like coming back here afterwards to let you know how it turned out hahah =)
teresa
looks wonderful!