Sunday, August 4, 2019

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti is a DELICIOUS easy dinner idea! The noodles are layered with a cheesy center and topped with a yummy homemade meat sauce and cheese.


Contrary to what the name might lead you to believe, it’s a super inexpensive meal to make, but it DOES taste like a million bucks 🙂  . Your family will LOVE you for this one!

Million Dollar Spaghetti is a DELICIOUS easy dinner idea! The noodles are layered with a cheesy center and topped with a yummy homemade meat sauce and cheese.

Ingredients
  • 16 ounces spaghetti noodles
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
  • salt and pepper , to taste
  • 1 small onion , chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 24 ounce jars marinara pasta sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • fresh parsley leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large skillet cook and crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage and season with salt and pepper. Remove most of the grease.
  3. Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent. 
  4. Add all but 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce (reserve 1/2 cup for the noodles) to the mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.
  5. Cook Spaghetti according to package instructions, just until “al dente”.
  6. Place hot spaghetti in a large mixing bowl with butter and 1/2 cup marinara sauce and toss to combine. Pour HALF of the pasta into a 9x13’’ pan.
  7. Combine cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese in a bowl and mix well. Smooth over noodles in the pan. 
  8. Top with remaining noodles. Add meat mixture on top and smooth into an even layer. Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. 
  9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Check it around 20 minutes and if the cheese is browning too quickly, place a piece of tinfoil over it.
  10. Wait about 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
  • This is a great freezer meal!  Tips for freezing this recipe are listed in the post above!
  • I love to serve this with Homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks!