Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Do you find yourself getting bored with making the same old spaghetti time and time again? Here is a recipe that has a delicious twist on those classic flavors of spaghetti. What makes this spaghetti worth a million dollars is the yummy creaminess of the ricotta, cottage cheese, and cream cheese! This recipe makes a ton of food that will feed a huge crowd or enough to have leftover for days to come! We love to make this on Sunday and eat the leftovers for a few days to start off the week. 

To start making this Million Dollar Spaghetti, start by cooking 1 pound of spaghetti according to the directions on the packaging. Also, go ahead and preheat your oven to 375º F. While the spaghetti is boiling, brown 1 pound of ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Season with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon each of paprika and Italian seasoning and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Add 1 chopped onion to the skillet and cook until translucent. Once the onions and ground beef are cooked, drain any excess grease and add in 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and 1 of the jars of marinara sauce and stir well and let simmer on low.

Next, in a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup of ricotta cheese, 1 cup of cottage cheese, ½ block of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes together and mix well. Once the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain the water and mix in 1 jar of marinara sauce. Then, spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and add 4 tablespoons of butter along the bottom of the dish. Add in half of the spaghetti to the baking dish then add the entire bowl of the cheese mixture on top of that and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top then layer on the rest of the spaghetti. Pour the meat and sauce mixture over the top and top that with the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 375º for 35-40 minutes. 

When you pull this Million Dollar Spaghetti out of the oven, the cheese will be all nice and melted and it will smell so delicious! This recipe is rich and filling so I like to serve it with a light salad and sometimes garlic bread if we’re really hungry! My two boys love this meal and I can count on it to be a crowd pleaser. Try this recipe out! I hope you enjoy it. 

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

• This recipe is not spicy but since there are red pepper flakes in it, if you would like you can leave them out. On the other hand if you would like it to be more spicy, add in some more!

• Freshly minced garlic or jarred minced garlic both work well for this recipe. 

• As always, I prefer to shred my own blocks of cheese! It melts quicker and is more creamy.

• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator to be enjoyed for a few days.