This Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Recipe has four layers worth getting right: tender spaghetti, seasoned cream cheese, beef marinara, and a melted mozzarella-Parmesan top. The cream cheese sits between the noodles and meat sauce, giving each serving a rich middle without needing a separate cream sauce.
It is a generous pasta bake for a family dinner or a table of friends. Serve it from the baking dish, with something crisp alongside, and allow a short rest before scooping out portions. The edges will be a little untidy, which is part of a good baked spaghetti dinner.
Set up the pan and soften the cream cheese
Use a greased nine-by-thirteen-inch baking dish and heat the oven to 350°F. Before you start the pasta, check the cream cheese. It should give easily under a spatula so you can beat it with the seasonings and spread it over the noodles. A cold, firm block is difficult to distribute without pulling the pasta out of place.
Grate the mozzarella and Parmesan, dice the yellow onion, and mince the garlic. Keeping those jobs out of the way makes the assembly easier once the meat sauce is ready. The Italian seasoning and garlic powder go into the cream cheese mixture, while the fresh garlic goes into the beef sauce.
Cook the noodles and make the beef marinara
Boil the spaghetti in salted water for about two minutes less than its package directions. It will finish softening in the oven. Start checking a strand near the end: it should be flexible but still a little firm. Drain well, then toss with the measured olive oil so the noodles are easier to arrange.
You can brown the beef while the spaghetti cooks. Use a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the finely diced onion with the ground beef. Break the beef into small crumbles as it cooks, then drain excess grease once it is browned and cooked through.
Add the minced garlic and cook for about a minute. Stir in the marinara and let it simmer for five minutes. Choose a sauce you already like, since its flavor comes through in the finished casserole. The sauce should be moist and spoonable, with the beef spread through it rather than sitting in a few large clumps.
Build the layers without packing them down
Beat the softened cream cheese with the Italian seasoning and garlic powder until smooth. This makes a thick, spreadable mixture rather than a pourable sauce. Scrape around the bowl to catch any unseasoned cream cheese at the sides.
Arrange the cooked spaghetti in an even layer across the baking dish. Add small spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture across the surface, then gently spread them together. Several small dollops are easier to work with than one large mound in the middle. A few little gaps are fine; you do not need to press down hard or make a perfectly flat sheet.
Spread the beef marinara over the cream cheese, taking the sauce close to the edges. Keep the layers fairly even so a serving from the corner has sauce as well as pasta. Avoid stirring everything together during this step.
Scatter the mozzarella and Parmesan over the meat sauce. Mozzarella gives the top its soft, melted texture, while Parmesan adds a sharper flavor. Spread both across the pan rather than leaving a thick pile of cheese in the center.
Bake until the middle is hot and the edges bubble
Bake uncovered for twenty-five to thirty minutes. Look for melted cheese, bubbling sauce near the edges, and a hot center. The top should be lightly golden in places. Ovens vary, so use those cues along with the timing, and allow a little longer if the center still needs it.
Let the casserole rest for about five minutes before serving. That gives the layers a moment to settle and makes it easier to lift out a portion. Use a broad serving spatula to get beneath the noodles and bring some of the meat sauce and topping with each scoop.
A simple green salad or Marinated Cucumbers, Onions and Tomatoes makes a fresh side for the rich pasta. Bread is useful for the sauce left on the plate. The parsley in the card is an optional garnish.
Two questions that come up with this bake
Can I use sausage or turkey? Either can replace the beef. Brown the meat and cook it through before adding the marinara. Italian sausage brings more seasoning of its own, while ground turkey gives the sauce a milder flavor. Drain excess fat as needed.
Should I cover the baking dish? The recipe bakes uncovered so the topping can color slightly. If your oven browns the cheese before the center is hot, loosely cover the dish with foil for the remaining baking time.
For another creamy pasta dinner, try Creamy Beef and Shells. Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese is another baked pasta option with a different cheese sauce.
Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti
Ingredients
Spaghetti and meat sauce
- 16 oz dry spaghetti
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 24 oz high-quality marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Cream cheese layer
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Cheese topping
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- Fresh parsley optional, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain well and toss with the olive oil. You can prepare the meat sauce while the pasta cooks.
- Cook the ground beef and finely diced onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the beef into small crumbles, until browned and cooked through. Drain excess grease.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the marinara sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Beat the softened cream cheese with the Italian seasoning and garlic powder until smooth and spreadable.
- Spread the cooked spaghetti evenly across the prepared baking dish. Add small spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture across the surface, then gently spread them into a thin, even layer over the noodles. Small gaps are fine; avoid pressing down hard.
- Spread the meat sauce evenly over the cream cheese layer, taking it close to the edges of the dish.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the meat sauce.
- Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the casserole is hot through, the sauce bubbles near the edges, and the cheese is melted and lightly golden. Allow more time if needed. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Fresh parsley is an optional garnish.
