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Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti! Spaghetti tossed with butter, then layered with a creamy ricotta sauce and a simple slow-simmered tomato sauce made with spicy Italian sausage and ground beef. It’s comforting and delicious, and it looks so pretty coming out of the oven. You can even assemble it ahead of time. This is the perfect bake for holiday dinners or any cold winter night when you want something everyone at the table will love. Just add a big, beautiful salad and you’re set.
Yesterday we shared a big list of our favorite holiday dinners. This time of year, I’m constantly entertaining and cooking big meals for family most nights throughout December.
And during these last couple of weeks—when everyone slowly starts arriving for Christmas break—I’m usually cooking for anywhere from eight to twenty people! That means keeping dinners simple, cozy, and always delicious.
This time of year is just busy. So “easy, quick, and yummy” is always the goal.
Most years I make a version of my mom’s spaghetti pie—sometimes we call it million-dollar pasta. It’s a baked pasta layered with a very creamy white sauce and a slow-simmered meat sauce. My mom used to make it all the time!
Her recipe called for lots of eggs, but I make a simpler variation now that’s honestly even yummier (my brothers have confirmed it). We LOVE this baked pasta. It’s perfect because I can assemble everything ahead of time, then bake it right before dinner. Super easy and very hands-off.
I usually serve this the week leading up to Christmas with my Christmas salad. And my new garlic bread is coming soon—but I LOVE the garlic bread wreath with this bake.
These are the details
Ingredients
- dry pasta
- spicy Italian sausage
- ground beef
- onions
- bell peppers
- Italian seasoning
- canned tomatoes
- sun-dried tomatoes
- whole milk ricotta cheese
- cream cheese
- fresh parmesan
- mozzarella cheese
- provolone cheese
- pepperoni
- fresh basil or parsley
Special Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a Dutch oven or other large skillet. Plus, a mixing bowl, wooden spoon, and cutting board.
The Steps
Step 1: Boil the Pasta
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drain, then toss the hot pasta with softened butter. This keeps the noodles from sticking and adds the most delicious buttery flavor.
Step 2: Make the Red Sauce
Brown the spicy Italian sausage and ground beef with the onions, bell peppers, and Italian seasoning.
Nothing fancy—just a classic, cozy meat sauce my family loves!
Stir in the canned tomatoes or a large jar of marinara, plus a splash of water. Simmer until the sauce thickens and becomes rich. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and a handful of fresh basil.
Step 3: Mix the Ricotta Sauce
Use a food processor or simply a big bowl—both work great.
Combine the whole milk ricotta with cream cheese, and Parmesan until creamy and smooth.
Step 4: Layer Everything Together
In a large casserole dish, layer the red sauce, spaghetti, and the creamy white ricotta sauce. Finish with the remaining red sauce on top.
Add shredded mozzarella and provolone, then scatter slices of pepperoni over everything.
Step 5: Bake
Cover the dish and bake until the cheese is bubbling, melted, and beautifully browned on top.
Serving
Let the baked spaghetti rest for a few minutes so it can set up nicely before serving. Then top with fresh basil.
I love serving this with a big Christmas salad, garlic bread, and a bottle of wine for the family. The Tuscan red from our Seasonal Selection of Reds is my go-to.
Looking for more easy holiday dinners? Here are a few more to try!
Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Smothered Chicken in Mushroom Wine Pan Sauce
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Crockpot Short Rib Bourguignon
Lastly, if you make this Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti, be sure to leave a comment and/or rate this recipe! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 782 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 32 ounces marinara sauce, or canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
- fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss the pasta with butter.3. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven set over medium heat, add the sausage, beef, onion, bell peppers, and Italian seasoning. Brown all over, 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Simmer 10 minutes, until just slightly thickened. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Remove from the heat.4. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. 5. In a large casserole dish, layer 1 cup of the meat sauce with the spaghetti, white sauce, and remaining meat sauce. Top with mozzarella, provolone cheese, and the pepperoni. Bake 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Let sit for 10 minutes. Top with fresh basil, and enjoy!
This post was originally published on December 11, 2025
Not “million dollar” for me
Sorry to hear this, Jeffrey. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help you with!
Did not care for this.
Sorry to hear this, Joan. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with!
This was a delicious recipe. I tweaked a few things here and there to fit my family’s needs and it turned out great. I used cottage cheese rather than ricotta, used my own red sauce, and added some spices from Trader Joes. Thank you for a delicious recipe.
Hey Melissa,
Awesome! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
You have in the narrative to cover the dish but don’t include in the instructions. Is it to be covered the entire time?
Hi Alice,
You do not need to cover this dish:) Please let me know if you give it a try, I hope it’s a hit!
This will not be a repeat in my home. We didn’t care for it.
Sorry to hear this, Eileen. Thanks for trying the recipe. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
After reading all the comments, I wasn’t sure if this would turn out well, but in fact we thought it was delicious. I’m glad you cut the yogurt, though, because I think that would have ruined the flavor. (I also agree with another reviewer that it would be helpful if you would put notices on recent recipes that they’ve been changed since first published. I only found out about that by reading the reviews.) The one problem I had was that your narrative says to cover the baking dish, but the directions say nothing about that. I opted to bake it uncovered, which I think was the right decision.
Thanks so much, Helen! I appreciate you trying this pasta dish and sharing your review, I’m glad it was enjoyed!
This turned out really greasy & oily 🙁
Very sorry to hear this, Sara! Thanks for trying this pasta dish and sharing your feedback!
Made this today and it was delicious!
Hey Jan,
Yay! Love to hear this dish turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays!
This was soooo good! I used Rigatoni because somehow I was low on spaghetti, but it was just delicious on a cold night with a crusty baguette. I split the recipe into two 8 inch square pans to share with my daughter’s family so we both had a perfect cozy meal! Loved it with the creamy white cheesy center offsetting the spicy red sauce.
Hey Lucy,
Yay! Love to hear this dish turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays!
A warm thank you from France. I’ve just made this recipe (there’s enough to feed an army, thank goodness) and it’s absolutely delicious. Perfect food for this last week of term when comfort food is helpful. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much, Stephanie:) I am so glad this pasta dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it!
I will not be making this again, disappointing.
Hi Cherie,
Very sorry to hear this. Is there something specific that I can help with that went wrong? Please let me know!
I loved this recipe. It was like eating lasagna spaghetti.
Hey Andrea,
Happy Monday! I love to hear this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for making it:)
Happy Holidays!
I used goat cheese instead of cream cheese since I’m allergic to anything cow dairy and that added to it . As well made a ricotta out of cashews . It tasted great!
Hey Evi,
Such a great idea to use goat cheese! Thanks so much for trying this dish, love to hear it was enjoyed!
Happy Holidays!
It says butter, but it’s not in the recipe anywhere. Please advise. I’m making it right now. Thank you.
Hi Esther,
You are going to toss the noodles with butter in step 2. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Is the cheese hard or melted? It looks like something hard is crusted on top of yours in the pics, did you add something additional? Thank you!!
Hi Sam,
The cheese is melted:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Can the cream cheese be omitted or substituted? Thank you
Hi Doreen,
Sure, that should be okay for you to do. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!