My southern baked spaghetti recipe is so delicious and cheesy. The store-bought sauce makes creating this old fashioned spaghetti pasta recipe a breeze.

What is baked spaghetti?

A lot of folks ask that million-dollar question. It’s a southern staple. It’s a meaty sauce, sometimes made with ricotta cheese to give it more protein. I like to keep it simple with a sweet, meaty pasta filling with sautéed bell peppers and onions. My husband thinks it’s the best thing since sliced bread, child.

Let’s Grab Some Groceries

Try 80% lean beef. It will ensure that your good ole spaghetti has the most flavor.

The Bell Peppers and Onions do a fantastic job locking in all the meaty sauce. They play into the flavors just right.
Spaghetti Sauce let’s talk about it☺️ I know it’s a ton of good homemade sauces out there, but as a mom of 3, I can’t do it. So, the store bought it is my friends.
Noodles are, shall I say, spaghetti 🍝 pasta. Just choose your favorite. I love the Barilla brand!
Seasoning is kept to a bare minimum (Italian seasoning, pepper, garlic powder, and seasoning salt). This helps my newbies learn slowly but surely about spices.

How To Make Baked Spaghetti?

Sauté your meat along with the chopped onions and bell peppers.

Add your seasoning while the meat is undercooked to ensure flavor is locked in.

Sear until no pink is left. Drain the remaining liquid from the meat and set it to the side.

Add mix pasta sauce (mix with a small amount of sugar).

Begin to layer pasta sauce, meat, spaghetti, and cheese. Repeat.

Go ahead and place in a preheated oven of 400 degrees until the top is slightly brown. Top with ricotta and Parmesan cheese; enjoy!

Variations

• Try adding mushrooms to give your dish a lot more texture.

• Make it meatless with only the pasta and sauce.

• Fresh chopped basil added to the pot may be overpowering for some, but it adds a boldness to your dish. It all comes down to preference.

How To Serve?

Baked spaghetti is extra delicious when served with garlic bread, fried fish, or even honey butter cornbread!

Expert Tips

For this baked spaghetti recipe, I used regular spaghetti noodles. I have seen some substitute regular pasta noodles for noodles that are a little more on the healthier side. Noodles like red lentil spaghetti or chicken pea.

Ensure the spaghetti is in an oven-safe dish and microwave it for 1 minute.

First, the pasta sauce. Next, the cooked ground beef, spaghetti, cheese, and noodles.