Million Dollar Spaghetti

4.6
(396)

Million dollar spaghetti is the perfect combination of noodles, lean ground beef sauce, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream. It's unbelievably good!

83
close up on a serving of million dollar spaghetti
83
83
83
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
50 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Servings:
8

This million dollar spaghetti dish features a beefy, creamy tomato sauce that’s impossible to resist. 

Million Dollar Spaghetti Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make million dollar spaghetti: 

  • Spaghetti: An 8-ounce package of spaghetti should make about eight servings. 
  • Beef: You’ll need a pound of lean ground beef. You can use a mix of ground beef and ground turkey, if you prefer. 
  • Spaghetti sauce: Use a jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce or make your own marinara sauce at home. 
  • Butter: Use a stick of sliced butter to prepare the pan and to add richness and flavor to the baked spaghetti. 
  • Cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream: A mixture of cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream is essential for this decadent, creamy spaghetti sauce. 
  • Cheese: Shredded Cheddar cheese is the perfect finishing touch for this million dollar spaghetti. 

How to Make Million Dollar Spaghetti

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make million dollar spaghetti: 

  1. Boil the spaghetti in salted water, then drain and set aside. 
  2. Cook the beef on the stove and discard the grease. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the spaghetti sauce. 
  3. Prepare the baking dish, then spread half of the noodles in the bottom. 
  4. Top with the mixture of cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream. 
  5. Cover with remaining spaghetti and butter. 
  6. Pour the beef mixture over the spaghetti and spread in an even layer.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes, top with Cheese, and continue baking until the cheese is melted. 
million dollar spaghetti

France C

What to Serve With Million Dollar Spaghetti

Find delicious serving inspiration in our collection of Best Side Dishes to Pair With Your Spaghetti Dinner. Here are a few of the mouthwatering ideas you’ll find: 

How to Store Million Dollar Spaghetti

Store your leftover million dollar spaghetti in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave. 

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“I was looking for a new twist on an old favorite and I found it with this recipe,” says one Allrecipes community member. “The cream cheese takes it to a whole other level of flavor!”

“The cream cheese brings out a rich and creamy flavor while the pasta sauce gives it a real zing,” according to Lucky. “One thing I did differently is that I mixed my pasta noodles in with the cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream. This is a delightful dish that can feed a small family or a large gathering! It's definitely my go-to meal!”

“Excellent and super easy,” raves Amanda Comstock. “I added black olives and mushrooms to mine!”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

  • 1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

  • ½ cup butter, sliced - divided

  • 1 (8 ounce) container cottage cheese

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

  • ¼ cup sour cream

  • 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

    all ingredients gathered to make million dollar spaghetti

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in boiling water until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 to 12 minutes. Drain.

    spaghetti noodles draining in strainer

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.

    beef cooking in a skillet until browned and crumbly

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. Transfer to a bowl and mix in spaghetti sauce.

    beef mixed in a bowl with spaghetti sauce

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  5. Place 1/2 of the butter slices into the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spread 1/2 of the spaghetti into the dish.

    butter sliced placed on the bottom of the dish and spaghetti noodles over top

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  6. Mix cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream together in a bowl; spread mixture over spaghetti.

    cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream mixed together and spread out over noodles

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  7. Cover with remaining spaghetti and top with remaining slices of butter.

    mixture covered with remaining spaghetti and slices of butter

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  8. Pour ground beef mixture over spaghetti and spread in an even layer.

    ground beef mixture poured over spaghetti and spread out

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Spread Cheddar cheese on top and continue baking until cheese has melted and is lightly browned, about 15 minutes more.

    cheddar cheese sprinkled on and baked until cheese has melted

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  10. Enjoy!

    close up on a serving of million dollar spaghetti

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

919 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

618 Calories
42g Fat
31g Carbs
28g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 618
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 42g 54%
Saturated Fat 24g 122%
Cholesterol 136mg 45%
Sodium 721mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 28g 57%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 275mg 21%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 471mg 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.