Rich and creamy cheesy pasta, what more could you ask for? Million Dollar Casserole is sure to be a hit in your house with all the wonderful creamy flavors.
One of our most popular recipes on our website is this Million Dollar Casserole (also known as Spaghetti Casserole).
It is one of my family’s favorite weeknight dinner recipes.
Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole is great the first night and is just as good for leftovers. You can even double the recipe and freeze the second one for later.
Ingredient Notes
- Spaghetti noodles
- Cream cheese
- Sour Cream
- Cottage cheese
- Ground beef (or you can use turkey if you prefer)
- Jar of spaghetti sauce
- Butter
- Cheddar cheese
How To Make Million Dollar Casserole:
- Begin by preheating the oven 350 degrees.
- Then cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package.
- While the noodles are cooking, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese in a medium mixing bowl.
Note: there might be a few chunks from the cottage cheese, but just make sure it is all mixed together well.
- Now, place the ground beef in a large skillet and cook it until browned and cooked through, then drain the grease from the pan.
- After the meat has been drained, pour the spaghetti sauce over the meat and mix it together well.
- Use a 9×13 inch pan and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Put half of the cooked noodles in the bottom of the pan.
- Then, pour the creamy cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread it out evenly.
- Next, spread the rest of the noodles on top and then slice up the butter and distribute it evenly throughout the pan.
- Once all the noodles and butter have been added pour all of the meat sauce on top of the noodles, making sure it all gets covered.
- Now, put the dish in the oven, uncovered for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, take the dish out and spread the shredded cheddar cheese over top and return it to the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Then, take it out and serve it with your favorite sides.
Storing and Other Tips
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container or cover the dish you baked it in with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Try A Different Meat: You can do beef, sausage, ground chicken or ground pork.
Cheese Substitutes: You can substitute the ricotta cheese for cottage cheese. Mozzarella or parmesan would work in place of cheddar cheese, the flavor would be slightly different.
Serving Suggestions
- Easy Green Garden Salad
- Instant Pot Green Beans
- Sheet Pan Garlic Breadsticks
- Twisted Cheese Breadsticks
Million Dollar Casserole (Spaghetti Casserole)
Layers of cheesy pasta and creamy sauce make this Million Dollar Casserole a family favorite.
Serving servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles, (uncooked)
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 8 ounces cottage cheese
- 1 pound ground beef, (you could also use ground turkey)
- 26 ounces spaghetti sauce, (1 jar)
- ¼ cup butter, (softened)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook noodles as directed on the package.
- While your noodles are boiling, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese in a medium-sized bowl until smooth (there might be a couple of bumps from the cottage cheese, but make sure it's all mixed together well).
- Place ground beef in a large skillet and brown until completely cooked through. Drain grease well.
- Pour spaghetti sauce over the meat and mix well.
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.
- Layer half of the cooked noodles in the bottom of the dish. Pour the creamy cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread it around evenly. Next, add the rest of the noodles on top of the cheese mix layer and spread the noodles out to cover the pan. Then, slice up the butter and place it on top of the noodles throughout the pan.
- Once the noodle and cheese layers have been put together, pour the red meat sauce on top and cover the noodles completely.
- Cook it uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the 30 minutes is up, take the casserole out of the oven and cover the whole thing with cheddar cheese. Then return it back to the oven to cook for another 15 minutes.
Notes
When cooking it from frozen: Expect to add 50% to the cooking time and you might also want to reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Be ready to cover your casserole in aluminum foil so the top doesn’t get too brown. Or you can thaw and bake it as usual.
Nutrition
Calories: 414 kcal · Carbohydrates: 23 g · Protein: 19 g · Fat: 28 g · Saturated Fat: 14 g · Cholesterol: 88 mg · Sodium: 689 mg · Potassium: 491 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 5 g · Vitamin A: 946 IU · Vitamin C: 5 mg · Calcium: 153 mg · Iron: 2 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
thanks!