Wondering what to do with spaghetti leftovers? This southern baked spaghetti turns your old noodles into a wonderful new casserole dish that the whole family will enjoy. Cheesy, flavorful, comforting, and delicious.
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Making baked spaghetti with leftover spaghetti is one of the ways I can keep leftovers from being wasted in this house (by meal planning with leftovers). This Easy Comfort Food Casserole tastes even better than the first night. Or at least, that's what my husband tells me.
With this leftover spaghetti casserole, you can make a brand new dish to serve up to the family without getting tired of the same old things being served too often.
This Southern Baked Spaghetti works really well with Ragu Spaghetti Sauce Recipe and my Homemade Spaghetti Sauce.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great for several servings of pasta. This Southern Baked Spaghetti is very forgiving for the amount of leftover spaghetti you can have. If you have 3-6 servings of spaghetti, the recipe should turn out just fine!
- Minimal ingredients. You don't need much to pull this recipe together, just some leftover spaghetti with sauce, seasonings, eggs, cheese, and bell pepper.
- Simple steps with little effort. This is a great recipe for anyone not looking to put in a lot of effort. Just combine everything and pour it into a casserole dish before baking. Then add some cheese and bake until bubbly.
🛒 Ingredients
Leftover spaghetti with sauce- You will need several servings of leftover spaghetti. This is great for those nights you bake up too much!
Green bell pepper- You will need a bell pepper for added color and crunch. Leave the seeds out if you want this dish mild, or leave some in if you want your casserole to be spicy.
Cottage cheese- We prefer to use cottage cheese instead of ricotta because the texture is easier for the picky kids to handle.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Bell Peppers: Use fresh or frozen peppers, fresh adds crunch, frozen cooks softer. Sauté fresh peppers if you prefer them tender.
Cheese Options: Cheddar works great, but mozzarella or an Italian blend melt beautifully. Mix cheeses for extra flavor.
No Leftover Spaghetti? Cook 1 pound of noodles with 1 pound of cooked beef or sausage and 1 jar of pasta sauce.
Customize It: Add onions, extra sauce, sausage, pepperoncini, mushrooms, or spinach to suit your taste.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. It's usually cheaper, widely available, and works perfectly in this recipe.
Choose low cost cheeses. Buying cheese in blocks and shredding it yourself is cheaper and melts better than pre-shredded bags.
In-season produce saves money. Bell peppers, onions, spinach, or mushrooms are often cheapest when in season, or use frozen to keep costs low.
🥄 Instructions for Southern Baked Spaghetti
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 9x13 baking dish and set it aside.
Step 2: Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Mix well to combine. Make sure no streaks of eggs remain, or else you'll end up with scrambled eggs in your casserole.
Step 4: Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish.
Step 5: Top the pan with foil. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the pan from the oven. Take off the foil.
Step 7: Top the casserole with shredded cheese so that it is well covered.
Step 8: Bake in the oven for another 10 minutes, until melted and bubbly.
Step 9: Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Binding the Pasta: The eggs and ricotta (or cottage cheese) help bind the spaghetti together as it bakes, giving the casserole its sliceable structure.
Preventing Dryness: This mixture also rehydrates the noodles while baking, keeping the dish moist instead of dry or crumbly.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Keep leftover Southern Baked Spaghetti covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Warm single servings in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or reheat larger portions in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes.
Make Ahead: Assemble the casserole, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 4 months. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight, then let the dish sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking (especially if using a glass dish). Bake as directed.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
We like to serve this Southern Baked Spaghetti with some classic favorite side dishes like garlic bread and salad. This Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer is one of our favorites because it's so fast and simple but we almost always pair our spaghetti with The Best Canned Green Bean Recipe!
- Air Fryer Frozen Garlic BreadRecipe $2.24 / Serving $0.28
- The Best Canned Green Bean RecipeRecipe $1.14 / Serving $0.29
- Iceberg SaladRecipe $5.00 / Serving $0.83
- Homemade Spaghetti SauceRecipe $1.59 / Serving $0.40
❓ Southern Baked Spaghetti FAQs
You can keep any leftovers from this dish in a well covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes, to cut down on time and effort, you can use store-bought shredded cheese. Just note that the store-bought cheese may not melt as smoothly as freshly shredded cheese.
Not sure if it's baked all of the way? That's okay! Because the meat is already cooked we really just want the noodles warmed and the eggs to be safely cooked as well. When the internal temperature of the casserole reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, it's safe to consume.
It's made out of the same thin as regular spaghetti but with added moisture, cheese, meats (in some cases) and even some binding agents like eggs.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
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- Sausage Green Bean Potato CasseroleRecipe $9.37 / Serving $1.56
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🐝 If you tried this Southern Baked Spaghetti, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Southern Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 3-6 servings leftover spaghetti with sauce - ($0.00)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten - ($0.30)
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese or 24 ounces cottage cheese - ($2.48)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning - ($0.24)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional - ($0.08)
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced, optional - ($0.86)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded - ($0.74)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded - ($2.00)
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Mix. In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, eggs, ricotta or cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes if using, bell pepper if using, and Parmesan cheese. Mix well until fully combined and no egg streaks remain.
- Assemble. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with foil.
- Bake. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top, and return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Rest. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- From Scratch Option. Use 1 pound cooked spaghetti mixed with pasta sauce and 1 pound cooked ground beef or sausage in place of leftovers.
- Food Safety. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Storage. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheating. Microwave individual portions for 1 to 2 minutes or bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes for larger portions.
- Make Ahead. Assemble up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking, especially if using a glass dish.
Nutritional Information
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