This is a perfect recipe for when you want to use fresh, authentic ingredients. A perfect recipe for when you know that three cheeses will be better than one. A perfect recipe to make a flavorful sauce that infuses right-in-to the pasta for even more flavor. THE perfect recipe because you can make all of that in just one pan, and have it ready to serve in 30 minutes.
Skillet Baked Spaghetti couldn’t be easier and I promise it’s foolproof. A couple of important notes before starting; first and most important, use AT LEAST a 12-inch skillet, the deeper the better. I used a deep, well-used cast iron skillet for non-stick cooking and to hold all the ingredients without spill-overs. Second, see the special notes in the printable recipe for a clever way to break up the pasta noodles before cooking.
Let’s break down the recipe steps here:
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Once you’ve browned and drained your meat, it’s time to add all the spices, tomatoes, sauce and water. Then you will add the broken pasta and gently stir to incorporate all the ingredients and make sure the pasta is wet to prevent sticking.
Bring the sauce and noodles to a boil, then cover the mixture but stir it occasionally to continue to mix all the ingredients and help the pasta soften down into the meat sauce. After about 14 minutes, the noodles will be soft and the mixture is ready for the cheese. The noodles will continue to soak up the sauce a bit more as it sits.
Stir the cubed cream cheese into the mixture to melt, sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan and heat under the broiler until the cheese melts and the top is golden.
After the skillet is finished under the broiler, this dish can sit on the counter for five minutes or more before serving and it will still be nice and hot.
The combination of cream cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan in the skillet baked spaghetti adds a creamy mellow flavor with just the right amount of bite. Oregano, basil, and thyme are signature Italian flavors. And the fact that the pasta noodles cooked in the flavorful sauce rather than separately in boiling water makes every bite taste like it simmered all day rather than in just a few minutes.
This recipe has become a regular at my house when I want fresh, homemade goodness without a lot of work. I hope it becomes a regular at your house too.
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20 or turkey
- 1/4 pound mild or spicy Italian sausage
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme</span>
- 12 ounces spaghetti broken into 2-inch pieces (see note)
- 2 cans 15-ounces each crushed tomatoes
- 1 can 15-ounce tomato sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened and cubed
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese divided
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet (see note above) that is oven-safe, cook the ground beef and sausage with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium to medium-high heat, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through, 5-6 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in the oregano, basil, thyme, spaghetti, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, salt and pepper. The skillet will be very full! Just stir carefully, lifting the pasta up and over to get everything well combined.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, covered, stirring every once in a while to prevent sticking and break up the noodles, for 12-14 minutes, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. It's ok if it still looks quite liquidy as it will continue to thicken while it broils and rests. While the pasta cooks, preheat the broiler.
- Stir in the cubed cream cheese until it has melted and combined with the pasta. Sprinkle the mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheeses over the top and broil until golden and bubbly, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Grate more Parmesan and sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving.
Slightly adapted from a recipe I got from my blogging mentor, Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
This is a family favorite by far and I make it for anyone who has just had a baby and now it has become their family favorite! Have you ever tried freezing it? Since I make it so often I thought I should just make an extra batch each and every time 🙂
Hi Hayley, Your comment is awesome! I love that you make it and give it so much. In fact, I had to take a meal to a family yesterday and now am wishing I’d made this instead of the dish that was way more involved and not as good. I’ve never frozen the spaghetti. I’m not to sure how the noodles would do, if they’d be a bit mushy upon defrosting and reheating, actually. I could be wrong though so if you ever try it, please let me know. Thanks for making my night! 🙂
It’s in the oven! I did taste before it went in and it’s Devine ☺️
I did not nab any cream cheese so I used Greek yo instead.
Oh Jackie, I’ll bet the Greek yogurt added a nice tang without being too thick. Thanks for making it! 🙂
This was delicious, my family loved it. I made it with Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta, so it took a lot longer to cook and I added a little more water. There was enough to freeze for future meals. Thank you, this is the second recipe of yours I’ve made. Both have been hits.
Fierce, I’ve been wanting to try this with GF pasta but the last several times I’ve made it has been for company and I didn’t want to experiment on them. Thanks for letting me know it works well with the brown rice pasta. I’ll be making it again this soon and will use GF with confidence now. I’m glad you like the recipes. It means a lot that you came here to let me know. Have a great weekend.
Thank you for this recipe it is amazing! Just made this for dinner tonight for me and my husband and it was a huge hit. I will def make this again:-)
Hi Amber,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe and I’m glad your husband liked it! It’s a regular for us too. 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe! It really does sound delish 😉 I’m go into attempt making it here shortly. Just one question, do you by any chance have the nutrional facts for this fabulous meal? I have a 10 year old Type 1 diabetic girl and we have to count the carbs in every meal. I know she would love this so, hopefully you can help me with this. If not, I will have to try and attempt to figure the carbs out in each serving myself :/
Hi Nicole, I do have a “nutrition calculator” and I’ll run the recipe through it tonight. Stay tuned, I’ll get back to you after dinner dishes are done. 😉
This nutrition information is for 8 servings. The recipe is 6 to 8 servings and I used 8 for the calculator since a child would probably eat a smaller portion. But I don’t know what the yield per serving is, so keep in mind this might be a round up or down figure. Calories:481, Carbs:44.9g, Fat: 25g, MonoFat:9g, PolyFat:2g, SatFat:11g, Chol: 69mg, Protein:19g, Sugar:7g.
I was looking for a quick meal this evening since I have a late appointment. This looks good!!! Going to give this a try tonight. Thanks for sharing!!
Candi, You’re welcome! Glad you found it.
I love baked spaghetti! Going to have to try this one for sure. Just got a 10 pound bag of ground beef cause it was on sale and now I have a recipe for that. 🙂
Hi Jenna, This is definitely a recipe I make a lot. I hope you like it as much as my family does. Let me know what you think. 🙂
This looks amazing! I love the idea of cooking the spaghetti right in with the sauce to give it more oomph. Cutting down the time this takes and using less dishes is always good. I also like that it’s “baked” in a skillet – it’s great for summer when you don’t want to heat up the house by turning the oven on. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Emily, I’m glad you like it. It really is so easy and delicious! If you like Mexican food, be sure to also check out my Chicken Enchiladas In a Skillet. Only 15 minutes from start to finish (with pre-cooked chicken).
You have me craving this again, Sally! Such an easy and delicious meal!
It really is soooo good, Mel! I knew I could trust it since it came from you, but it was even better than I imagined. Hope all is well my dear. Love you!