Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole is a delicious hot meal that deserves a spot in your regular dinner rotation. This is a super creamy and rich baked spaghetti casserole that can be assembled in advance and will really please the whole family. Love that!
Ultra Creamy and Rich
When I say creamy, I mean a whole block of cream cheese creamy, plus a container of cottage cheese and 1/4 cup sour cream. Yes, it’s a rich meal and because of that you’ll want to serve something light with it like a garden salad or steamed broccoli.
And don’t even think about dessert after a meal like this.
I think that meaty, cheesy casseroles are a big hit with everyone. Ground Beef Casserole, made with egg noodles and a thick layer of cheese on top, is one of the most popular recipes on this site.
With 2 pounds of ground beef in a really flavorful and thick tomato sauce, there’s plenty of meaty goodness to balance the creaminess in this cream cheese spaghetti casserole. A layer of Panko bread crumbs finishes this yummy casserole off.
How To Serve Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole
This recipe feeds a crowd and is perfect for a potluck or a bunch of hungry teenagers. It makes about 8 servings and can easily be doubled. I like to serve it with a garden salad with Creamy Italian Dressing and some Pepperoncini Garlic Bread.
Variations
- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef or use half ground beef and half Italian sausage.
- Use ricotta cheese in place of cottage cheese.
- Add mushrooms or green bell pepper.
- Use 2 minced garlic cloves instead of garlic powder.
- Linguine or penne pasta can be used in place of spaghetti.
Make It Spicy
If you want to make this casserole spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole Recipe Tips
Undercook the pasta just slightly. It will cook some more in the oevn.
If you’re not a huge fan of cream cheese, I recommend cutting the cream cheese in half because the taste is really present.
Storage and Freezing
Leftovers will keep for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you wish to freeze this casserole, fully assemble it, wrap it in plastic wrap and then in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and then bake.
For More Casseroles Perfect For Family Suppers Follow My
Casseroles Pinterest Board
More Meaty Casserole
- BBQ Spaghetti Casserole
- Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole
- Cheesy Hot Dog Tater Tot Casserole
- French Onion Beef Casserole
- Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage
Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (16-ounce) container cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs or Panko crumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked until al dente
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion and cook, breaking meat apart, until meat is no longer pink and onions are softened. Drain off any excess grease.
- Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir to mix well. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Mix salt into cheese mixture.
- Spray a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer half of spaghetti on bottom of casserole dish. Top with cheese mixture.
- Cover cheese mixture with remaining spaghetti. Cover with sauce.
- Mix bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top of casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally posted March 15, 2015.
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This turned out well and I’d make it again, but next time I think I’d use a pound of hot Italian sausage instead of 2 pounds of ground beef to give the sauce a bit of spice. I’d also add a bit more liquid to the sauce so it can more fullypercolate down to the spaghetti immediately beneath it. The white cheese sauce was perfect, and I wouldn’t change that at all! One note: I don’t think it’s necessary to put cooking spray on the saute pan since even with 90 percent ground beef, which is fairly lean, there was enough fat in the pan to prevent anything from burning or sticking.
I made it and recommend that instead of layering the cheese mixture between the noodle layers, mix the cheesy mixture with the noodles for cheesy goodness throughout.
This looks so yummy!! Definitely printing this out and adding it to my collection
XO Janina
I make this adding canned mushrooms, drained. I also make it in two containers and freeze one uncooked. Best if thawed frozen one in the fridge overnight, but you can also microwave just until almost thawed and then bake if you don’t have the time to defrost. Can leave the crumb topping off if you are too lazy. lol