This easy baked spaghetti has everything we love about baked pasta. It has noodles, a hearty meat sauce, and lots of cheese. For more spaghetti recipes I love, see our weeknight spaghetti recipe or this veggie spaghetti! My favorite part of this baked spaghetti is the creamy pesto layer in the middle. It’s ridiculously simple to make and makes this pasta dish so incredibly delicious!
Key Ingredients
Spaghetti: I use plain spaghetti for this recipe, but other pasta shapes work great. Use what you have! I cook the pasta briefly before tossing it with the sauce and baking. Use the boxed directions as a guide, but cook the pasta for 2 to 3 minutes less. It will continue to cook in the oven. Ground Beef: I usually use ground beef here, but ground sausage, chicken, and turkey are excellent. You can even leave the meat out and add a few extra veggies (see this vegetable spaghetti for suggestions). Marinara Sauce: I use homemade marinara when I have it, but store-bought sauce works nicely in this recipe. Sour Cream and Pesto: This is my favorite part of this baked spaghetti. I stir pesto into sour cream to create a creamy pesto sauce. Then, I add it as a creamy layer into the middle of the baked spaghetti. So good! Store-bought pesto is fine, but if you can, make homemade pesto (I love it!). Cheese: Mozzarella is perfect, but any melty, mild cheese works.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti
When I’m not in the mood to assemble a lasagna, I make this baked spaghetti. The flavors are similar, but it’s much easier. For the sauce, I cook onions and ground beef, add the marinara sauce, and then toss with partially cooked spaghetti (by undercooking the pasta, it won’t become mushy after baking in the oven). You can add the spaghetti and meat sauce to a baking dish and top it with cheese, but to make it taste even better, add a creamy pesto layer to the middle. It’s super simple. I mix sour cream with basil pesto. Then, I add about half of my spaghetti to the baking dish, spread a layer of creamy pesto, and layer the remaining spaghetti on top. I do the same when making our baked ziti with spinach, and I love it! 1 pound (450g) lean ground beef 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 6 cups (1.4L) marinara sauce from 2 (26oz) jars, or see homemade marinara sauce 3/4 cup (170g) sour cream 1/4 cup (56g) basil pesto, see homemade basil pesto 1 cup (113g) grated mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces Salt and fresh ground black pepper 2Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and follow the package directions, but cook for 1 to 2 minutes less than the package calls for. Drain. 3Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet with sides. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. 4Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. As the beef cooks, use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces in the pan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Drain excess fat from the meat. 5Pour in the marinara sauce and cook until heated through. Take the pan off of the heat and add the cooked and drained pasta. Toss well, taste for seasoning, and adjust with salt and black pepper. 6In a small bowl, stir sour cream and basil pesto until well blended. 7Spoon half of the spaghetti into the baking dish. Spread the sour cream and pesto mixture over the pasta and scatter with half of the mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining pasta, lightly press everything into the baking dish and then scatter the remaining mozzarella cheese. 8Place the baking dish onto an aluminum-lined baking dish (just in case any sauce drips over the sides of the baking dish). Bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce bubbles, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
