Million Dollar Spaghetti
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 jar 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
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet cook and crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage and season with salt and pepper. Remove most of the grease.
Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent.
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.
Cook Spaghetti according to package instructions, just until “al dente”.
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.
Combine cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese in a bowl and mix well. Smooth over noodles in the pan.
Top with remaining noodles. Add meat mixture on top and smooth into an even layer. Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
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.
Wait about 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Make ahead instructions: You can prepare million dollar spaghetti 1 day ahead of time. Follow recipe instructions up to step 8 (just before baking). allow it to cool, cover it well with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.Freezing instructions: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step. Cover well with greased aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, then bake for about 20 minutes covered and then 15-20 minutes uncovered. If baking from frozen, bake covered for about 40 minutes, then uncover and bake 20-30 minutes longer, or until bubbly and warm.Possible Recipe variations:
Vegetarian million dollar spaghetti: leave out the meat entirely or substitute plant based meat!
Ground beef vs. sausage: I like to use both ground beef and ground Italian sausage in this recipe but you don't have to use both. If you do, consider saving the leftover 1/2 pound of Italian sausage to make Baked Ziti or Pizza Casserole.
Sub ricotta: if you prefer ricotta cheese to cottage cheese, feel free to substitute at a 1:1 ratio!
Switch up the pasta: we use spaghetti for million dollar spaghetti but feel free to use your favorite kind of pasta.
Shared from Tastes Better From Scratch