The Best Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

Just like mom made! Here were my adjustments: one pound of hamburger instead of two (plenty), no onions (preference), no Parmesan cheese (bummer) and I make my own spaghetti sauce so I think that's why my dish wasn't bland as some others were saying. (My suggestion would be to add Italian seasoning and some garlic powder/salt) Also I didn't bake it in the oven, I just poured it all into my pot and heated it up in there. That's not going to change the flavor I don't think, it's just one less dish to clean and because yes, that's how my mom did it ;)

I would like to suggest breaking the spaghetti into quarters or thirds before cooking for easier serving. I think adding a can of tomato bits and at least doubling the chopped onions, adding spices, such as oregano, basil, minced garlic or garlic powder, and salt & pepper would add so much more to the flavor, but be sure to drain the cooked beef & onions before adding those spices so that the flavor of the spices does not get lost while draining the grease from the beef. This is a great basic recipe but needs a little bump up to make it even tastier.

This is one of those recipes that the success really depends on the brand of sauce you use. Use a sauce that's flavorful and you like, otherwise you might be disappointed by the flavor. The sour cream will mute the taste of the pasta sauce so you can doctor the sauce up with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil, etc. We enjoyed this for dinner with a salad and crusty bread. Next time, I'd leave it my oven proof skillet and finish in the oven without transferring to a casserole dish. I found I didn't need 30 minutes for this casserole to bake in the oven. I took it out once the cheeses on the top were melted, since the sauce and spaghetti were warm to begin with. About 15-20 minutes. Also, best to remove the foil about 5 minutes before bake time is done to allow the cheese to get a little golden.

Followed recipe as directed. Used angel hair spaghetti. Our family prefers it. My sauce was jars of Great Value tomato, garlic, basil. My family raved! Oldest daughter keeps commenting on how good the sauce is. So, I don't really understand any negative comments unless the recipe was not followed. Thank you for this recipe!!

The sour cream gave this recipe a unique, and pleasant flavor. The house smelled great while it was baking. I cut the recipe in half as it was way to much for two people. I also used Ziti instead of spaghetti. It ended up being like a baked ziti, or lasagna casserole. We will make this again.

I leave out cream cheese and Parmesan. I use Italian sausage instead of ground beef. I do use jarred sauce (my favorite Rao mushroom)…

I used Italian seasoning and garlic powder, as well as extra onion when browning the beef, and I think the grease adds great flavor so I did not drain it. I used full fat sour cream and organic marinara sauce. I decided to bake it for the first 20 minutes covered in tin foil so the noodles don’t get so dry. I folded the tin foil into a tent shape so the cheese does not stick to it. I finished by baking for another 10 minutes uncovered (or until the cheese begins to brown.)

My hubby and I liked this and my picky son absolutely loved it, came back for thirds when he never even does seconds! My changes were minimal and based on what I had on hand, I topped it with fresh mozzarella (yumm) and halved the sour cream in which I had the full fat on hand. I also layered it instead of mixing it all together (sauce, noodles, cheese, repeat, end with sauce, topped with mozz). In the end it was too much to fit into my 9x13 so I mixed what was left and also made an 8x8. Both were very good.

As written, this reminds me of something my mom would have made us kids in the 80’s and we would have loved! But, over the years - as our tastebuds mature, we realize we want to make it a bit more bold and we add things like minced garlic to the beef, basil and oregano- which I did. Or! Use a more prominent spaghetti sauce. As written, this is a good, comfort food classic that is both economical and easy to make. A few small dashes of common Italian seasonings keeps it still cheap and easy but, as Emeil likes to say, takes it up a notch! Would make again with my minor changes. Thanks Noonie!

Total winner! Husband and toddler loved it. My modifications: made it with ground turkey instead of beef. And I seasoned the turkey with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and garlic powder. Also, I used minced onions by McCormick. I drained the spaghetti and then put it back in its pot where I combined everything. This makes A LOT and it would have been too much to combine everything in the skillet I browned the meat in. I totally overlooked the bit about covering with foil to bake. But I'm glad I did because it allowed the top to crisp up a little, which we all really liked. This is going in the meal rotation!

This was very good! Some reviewers said it was too bland, so I added some garlic powder and oregano to the beef and onions while browning (but I do that for most italian dishes anyway). Other than that, I made the recipe as written. I split it into two 9x13 casserole dishes (gave one to a family friend) and just one of them was more than enough for my family of 4 with plenty of leftovers. My toddlers both loved it! I think this would be a great option for a big potluck or church function. You could probably fit it all into a big disposable foil lasagna pan (the 9x13 ones are deeper than your average 9x13 pyrex). We will definitely be making this recipe again.

Season meat well!! Add (seasoned) ricotta to the sour cream/cream cheese mixture! And always use Rao's marinara!

I have picky eaters in the house, including my "vegetables never" husband. He absolutely LOVES this dish! My favorite weekly food prep is making a casserole Monday evenings and eating leftovers all week. This one stays in the casserole rotation!

Family says "you hit a home run with this recipe!" They loved it!

I made it almost exactly as the recipe, but since I don’t like sour cream I used small curds cottage cheese instead. I also omitted the Parmesan cheese but left it on the table to the discretion of others ( no one touched it) and all loved the casserole. I whipped a zesty salad and cornbread. Yummy

Use Boursin. Make half. Rao marinara.

This came together in minutes.

This was absolutely horrible. Dry, tasteless, unappetizing. Why do you publish these horrible recipes?

I was looking for a basked pasta dish and this was perfect! I did alter it, using the ingredients at hand due to the winter storm, I will not go outside today! I used ground pork and mild Italian sausage, added lots of red and green sweet peppers, and a splash of red wine to the onion mixture. Served with garlic/mozzarella bread. It was pure comfort and coziness on this winter's day. I will use this recipe as a base in the future! Thank you for posting.

Bro, my life is officially upgraded.