Easy Baked Spaghetti
Updated Mar 27, 2026
Homemade baked spaghetti where the pasta cooks right in the sauce, then gets finished with mozzarella and Parmesan.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Jump to Section
My Easy Baked Spaghetti is So Good!

This easy baked spaghetti is a variation of a recipe I grew up with my mom making called “macarona bil furun,” which is Arabic for spaghetti in the oven, or spaghetti casserole. Basically, the recipe entailed cooking spaghetti, making a chunky meat sauce on the stovetop, mixing them together, and baking them in the oven.
This baked spaghetti casserole is a great weeknight dinner recipe. The baking time takes the longest, but with a little planning ahead and around 10 minutes of hands-on time!

Easy Baked Spaghetti Ingredients

- Spaghetti: This recipe uses uncooked spaghetti, so make sure it is fully coated and spread out in the baking dish as evenly as possible. If a few pieces are sticking way out of the liquid, they can dry out in the oven. You can break the noodles in half first if that makes it easier to toss and fit in the pan.
- Olive oil, garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning: Make sure the onion is diced small so it softens as it bakes. Fresh garlic works best here since there is not a long simmer time to mellow garlic powder.
- Bell pepper, canned diced tomatoes, marinara, and water: Use a marinara sauce you already like since it carries most of the flavor. Do not skip the water or cut it too much, because the spaghetti needs that extra liquid to cook in the oven. If you want, you can swap the green bell pepper for red or yellow. Read my tips on how to cut a bell pepper.
- Fresh basil: Stir some into the pasta before baking, then save more for the top at the end. If you do not have fresh basil, you can leave it out, but it does give the finished pasta a fresher flavor. For help, see my tips on how to cut basil.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan: Low-moisture mozzarella works best here, so the top does not get watery. If you can grate your own, it melts better; the pre-shredded kind has anti-caking agents mixed in, making it harder to melt.
How to Make Baked Spaghetti






Recipe Video Tutorial

Easy Baked Spaghetti Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) canned diced tomatoes
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place the uncooked spaghetti in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add the olive oil, garlic, onions, Italian seasoning and salt. Use your hands to gently toss and evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Add the bell pepper, canned diced tomatoes, water, marinara and basil on top of the spaghetti, and toss it again using tongs to evenly coat the spaghetti with the sauce and vegetables.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Toss the spaghetti and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Continue baking uncovered for 15-20 more minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese and serve.
Notes
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However this recipe is very loose and easy to adapt to your preferences. Serving Size: One serving is about 2 ounces of spaghetti.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
The great thing about this baked spaghetti recipe is that you can make it a different way every time, without exact measurements really needed. You can use whatever you have on hand, changing it up however you like.
- Add meat. I made this vegetarian so that it’s all baked in a single pan. But if you’d like, you can add ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken to the recipe. Just cook it on the stovetop first and add it to your pasta bake recipe when you add the tomatoes.
- Make it vegan. On the flip side, this easy baked spaghetti pasta has no meat, so it’s very easy to make this a plant-based casserole! Just swap in a vegan cheese that melts well.
- Change up the sauce. Instead of marinara, try a creamy alfredo sauce or pesto sauce!
Recipe Tips
- Coat the spaghetti with the olive oil. Since you will not cook the spaghetti before placing it in the baking dish, it’s important to coat the spaghetti with olive oil to make sure it doesn’t stick together while baking in the oven.
- Salt the spaghetti before it bakes. Just as it’s important to add salt when cooking spaghetti traditionally, it’s the same idea when baking spaghetti. Add the salt right to the pasta in the beginning for best flavor.
- Make sure to use enough liquid for the spaghetti. These one pan meals can be tricky to measure the right amount of liquid for pasta. But in general, 4 ounces of pasta will take about 1 cup of liquid. I like it a little more saucy, so I use 5 cups of liquid for 16 ounces of pasta. A good rule of thumb is to make sure there is enough liquid to cover the pasta in the baking dish.
- Don’t cover the baked spaghetti in the oven. It may seem necessary to cover the dish so that the cheese doesn’t burn or the spaghetti doesn’t dry out, but it’s not important to do this. And I would recommend against it because you’ll miss out on the bubbly, crusty, cheesy top.

Serving Ideas
- Add a salad. Baked spaghetti is pretty hearty, so I like putting something fresh next to it to break it up a little. Serve it with Mixed Greens Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, or Simple Green Salad.
- Serve with bread. This is the kind of dinner that makes bread make sense, especially if there’s extra sauce in the dish. Try it with Garlic Knots, Garlic Cheese Bread, or Homemade Focaccia.
- Pair with a vegetable side. If you want to round it out a little more, a simple vegetable works well without making dinner feel like too much. It goes well with Roasted Broccoli, Air Fryer Asparagus, or Roasted Green Beans.








Comments
Very good, I added sliced mushrooms. I will serve it again.
Mushrooms are a great idea! So happy you’re already thinking of making it again!
Works well even covered in the oven. Good recipe!
So glad this recipe was a hit for you!
We loved it! And so easy and fun to make! We used part of a purple onion, red&orange mini peppers, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and dry basil. Definite repeat!
So glad you found a definite repeat recipe! And that you made it your own! I hope you enjoy it again and again!
These recipes look great. I made the baked spaghetti, was in a big hurry so I had to just use spaghetti sauce and water. I never have baked it but your recipe got me started. Thank you so much for your help. Can’t wait to try the meatball soup, it looks delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jeffrey! Thank you!!
This is amazing. I added seasoned ground beef and it was so good. I’m not making it any other way now. Too easy and delicious!
Aww, that makes me so happy to hear! Glad you liked it, Sisifo!! Thanks!
This was fantastic! I added feta and capers to Greek it up a bit. We devoured it and enjoyed the cheesy indulgence. Making it again this week. It’s a perfect comfort food dish!
Yum, love that!! So happy it was a hit at your house, Jennifer. Thank you!
Does this come out al dente and can the cheese be left out?
It cooks to al dente when you bake for 40 minutes, then you remove it, stir, and add cheese and it will cook fully. You can skip the cheese but it’s much better with it. If you want to make it dairy free, you can use vegan cheese instead. I think the added moisture and bubbly cheesiness on top make it so good!
Very good.
Thank you, Anna!
Would this be possible to make with a slow cooker? If so, what would you reckon the timing would be?
I haven’t tried it before but I think it could work! I would try cooking on low for around 4 hours. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Here is what I ended up doing last night. I tweaked the recipe to up the protein content and it was delicious but needs some tweaks going forward.
I used 3lbs frozen chicken thighs in the crockpot, covered with 2 jars of marinara and one jar of Alfredo, 2 blocks of cream cheese, 1 can of diced tomatoes not drained, and one can of mushrooms rinsed. I put that on high for 4 hours then pulled the chicken out, shredded it, and added it back to the pot. This is where the mishap came in. I added the uncooked pasta (2lbs of the pot size noodles) to the crockpot with everything else. It instantly clumped together so it was some real arm work to get it mixed. It cooked for another 30 minutes and the pasta was al dente but still stuck together a fair amount. I broke it up as best I could, turned the crockpot to “keep warm” and added shredded mozzarella cheese before replacing the lid.
It was absolutely delicious but my arms are so tired. I think at least par boiling the pasta or adding after the fact would work better since the starch makes things stick. The sauce does look really thin before adding the pasta as well since it soaks up the liquid so maybe adding more water or sauce would help.
Oh no, that sounds like a lot of work! I think par-boiling is a smart idea to cut down on the stirring difficulty and cook time. So happy you liked how it tasted in the end though! Thanks so much for coming back to share how it went!!
WOW, this was amazing! We didn’t even finish eating and everyone was asking when we’re having it again. The only thing I did differently was add some thawed meatballs to the pan. So simple, so easy, but very delicious!
Love that you added meatballs—yum! So happy it was a hit at your house, Halle. Thank you!!
Did you add the thawed meatballs into the pan to cook for the first 40 min? Or add them after with the cheese?
I added them to the pan at the same time as everything else and let them heat up for the full 40-50 minutes. I found it difficult to toss the spaghetti around though, so the 2nd time I made this, I just let them simmer in the extra sauce in a pot on the stove
This was delicious!
Thank you, Lisa!! So glad you liked it!
Nowhere does it say whether the diced tomatoes should be drained or not. I did not and think I just ruined the whole thing because of too much liquid
Hi Debora! You didn’t ruin the recipe because the diced tomatoes do not need to be drained. In the ingredients section of the post, it says, “Canned diced tomatoes: Add the whole can, juices and all.”
Absolutely love this! I have made this 4 times now and it’s a hit every time. I follow the recipe and only make one change. Along with the green peppers and onions, I add chopped mushrooms. The whole family loves this.
Thank you so much!
Yum, love the addition of mushrooms! That sounds so good. So happy you and your family love the recipe, Sonja! Thank you!!
Excellent, easy, and delicious. The only change I made was to chop the mozzarella for the top as it came in balls.
So happy you liked it! Thanks, Robin!!
Looks good
Thanks, I hope you’ll try it!
My family enjoyed this baked spaghetti casserole. We prefer pesto to red sauce though. Can this be made with pesto instead of red sauce? Any suggestions?
Oooh, yum! I love that idea!! Hmm, I think I would try replacing the marinara sauce with pesto (I’m not sure if you’ll need 2 cups though, you’ll have to see if you can get away with a little less). I would also leave out the basil since pesto is already full of it and consider replacing the green bell pepper with roasted red peppers to give the flavor a bit more depth. I’d love to hear how the pesto version turns out if you try it!!
Outstanding recipe! My husband and I loved it. I had only small amounts of different pastas…thin spaghetti, whole wheat spaghetti and fettuccine. But the combo worked fine. I was out of canned tomatoes, so I diced 15 oz of grape tomatoes that gave the dish a very fresh flavor. Definitely making this again. My grands will love it!
I love that you mixed all the different types of pasta!! So happy you were able to make it work and that you and your husband enjoyed it! I hope your grandkids love it too. Thanks, Randi!
Does this casserole baked uncovered splatter and make a mess in oven?
It shouldn’t as long as your baking dish is big enough! I imagine if it’s filled to the brim there may be some splattering.
Have this in the oven right now..it smells so good! I’m not even upset there is no meat in it. Thank you!
Thank you! I hope it tasted as good as it smelled!!
WOW! I used your concept, temp. 375 degrees for 45 minutes and the results were WONDERFUL! 5 Stars.
I had a package of some kind of pasta from Costco, about a 15 oz can of spaghetti sauce, 15 oz of water, spices, and parmesan cheese. It was so quick, easy and tasty. Thank you!
Amazing! So glad you liked it, Ross! Thank you!!
Can spaghetti squash be used instead of spaghetti pasta?
I actually have a Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna recipe I think you’d love: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/spaghetti-squash-lasagna-boats/
Wow, just tried this dish tonight (my 12 yo daughter helped!) and it was a hit. Thank you!!
Yay! So glad you and your daughter liked it!!
I’ve always made spaghetti using hamburger as a major ingredient until I recently made this spaghetti. Going forward, this will be the only way I make it. It was delicious and easy to make. Outstanding recipe!!!
I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Thank you, Billy!!
This will be the only spaghetti I make now.
Yay, love that!! Thanks, Robyn!
Made this tonight. Used a lb of rigatoni, and then made a half portion using gluten free pasta for my daughter. Came out amazing. Only about one portion was left after dinner as the boys went back for seconds. My oldest, who doesn’t like eating pasta, said this is a meal he would eat daily and not have an issue with. Only difference is that with the rigatoni, I had to increase cooking time by about 20 minutes.
Aww, I’m so happy the entire family loved it!! And thank you for sharing the cook time that works for rigatoni, that’s helpful information!
2nd time I’ve made this, came out better than the first! 🙂 last time I improvised a bit too much, trying to use up leftovers and the pasta ended up starchy. This time, armed with experience as a teacher, I nailed it! With the help of our friend, the original poster of this recipe. 😉 I added a bit of red pepper flakes when I added the tomatoes, sauce and water. When I took the pasta out at the 40 minute mark, I mixed in about 2.5oz crumbled feta, then topped w halved vegetarian meatballs and mozz. delicious! Thanks again, my family loves this. xo
Ooh yum, love the tweaks you made! So happy you and your family enjoy the recipe!!
Could I throw in some ricotta? And if so, at what stage?
Definitely! I would add it in with the tomatoes, red peppers, marinara, basil, and water before tossing the spaghetti the second time. Sounds so good, let me know how it turns out!
I like this one. You may have to take some liberties with it like adjusting the amount of oil. I also used frozen vegetables without pre-cooking them and added more cheese than the recipe calls for. It turned out great.
Yay, so happy you liked it! Love that you had success with frozen veggies, what a great way to add extra nutrients to a quick weeknight dinner!
This was delicious! I added fresh mushrooms, spinach and ground beef. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Love the additions you made, sounds so good!!
Could I use a cup of milk for a cup of marinara sauce to make it less tomato-y or will the milk curdle?
Yes, you can substitute 1 cup of milk for 1 cup of marinara sauce! I haven’t tried it that way but it should definitely work. Let me know how it turns out!
Would gluten free pasta work in this recipe?
Yes!
This was SO good! I swapped the water for low sodium chicken broth, but other than that, I followed every thing else. I can envision me adding broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, etc. (not all at once though…lol). Thanks for a great recipe for my busy weeknights!
You are so welcome!
This is an informative post!
Haven’t even made this yet and I love it already! I love anything that helps me skip and save time. I’m sure I’ll mix n match ingredients as always but will remember to salt and coat the pasta with oil and use 4-5 cups of liquid per pound of pasta. Thank you!!
Yay! Yes, such a great, easy way to throw dinner together!
Wow, needed a quick dish to make for dinner with minimal prep and cleanup. Wow this was it! I used frozen green peppers and onions and that made it even easier
Aww, yay! I love to hear this!
In the recipe nutrition section, it states a serving is 1 g. That would be minuscule and difficult to measure. What is the accurate amount?
Apologies, the correct serving is 2 ounces, I updated the nutrition section accordingly.
Hi there, so sorry fo an inconvenience. I see wha you mean about the oven temperature, thanks for bringing it to my attention, I have adjusted it accordingly. As for the water, that is listed in the recipe card. You add 3 cups in step 2.
Delicious and so easy! I used homegrown tomato sauce from my tomatoes in my garden that I had already seasoned, so I adjusted the seasoning slightly.
I also added some ground plant-based meat for extra protein. I don’t think I’ll ever boil pasta again!
So happy to hear that you liked it, Betsy!
no where in the directions does it say anything about the water
Hi there, the directions state the water should be added during step 3. Were you reading from the recipe card? If you tap “jump to recipe” at the top of the page it will take you to the full recipe with ingredients and directions.
The recipe was simple and easy. I baked it and it was delicious. I did wait the last 15 minutes before I added the mozzarella cheese. It came out good and delicious.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this!
When I tell you my expectations were low and yet this came out the oven and blew my socks off… YUMMY! My new lazy girl go-to recipe!!!!
LOL so glad you liked it, Ronda!
Just put it in the oven! Looks exciting and yummy!
Hope you enjoyed!!
I tried my version of this recipe for my virgin entrance to cooking with dried macaroni. By the way, I’m a husband who didn’t want to disappoint my wife. I had about 2½ cups of previously prepared sauce. It is was frozen marinara with carrots, onions and garlic. I layered oiled linguine over sliced onions. Slathered on some sauce. Added a layer of fresh zuc cut about ⅜inch thick. Fresh garlic. Another layer of oiled linguine, etc until i had three layers. Poured on 4 cups of chicken brother and one cup of water. Finished with shredded parm and a dozen of halved cherry tomatoes. Baked 350 for one hour. Then 300 for 20 minutes. Let set one hour. Magnificent! Thank you.
You’re so welcome! Happy to hear that it turned out well – now you’re off to the cooking races!
Can you use butter if youbdont have olive oil to stop it sticking?
You can!
It’s excellent. I added cooked shredded chicken and more vegetables but it’s amazing. I was concerned about the “no cook” pasta but it was amazing. It sets overnight great and is even better the next day.
Thank you! That sounds good too. Yay!!
Could you use spiral or any other pasta ?
Yes, it should work!
Just had dinner and this dish was scrumptious, it turned out perfectly delicious. The only change was I used tiny tomatoes (Sparkles) whole and they added an extra texture and a great flavor! I will consider adding frozen, though thawed meatballs for a different taste! So easy and tasty, thank you!
That’s amazing! The meatballs would be a great way to switch it up. You’re so welcome!
Just put this dish in the oven and can’t wait to try it! It smells good already!
So excited to hear what you think!
Might I add I used Angel hair pasta, some left over bolognaise topped with passata for added liquid and plenty of fresh basil from the garden. Next time I would like to try with big balls of mozarella on top!
That sounds delicious! I’m always a fan of adding mozzarella to this!
This is seriously delish. Eating right now
That makes me so happy to hear! Yay!!
This might sound silly but how do you measure sphagetti ? .
I measure by weight, so I use a weighing scale.
I hope to make this tonight ….looks easy and delicious
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
This looks great. I wonder if anyone has tried it with gluten free pasta?
Hi Lynda, some readers have reported success using gluten-free brown rice pasta. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you end up trying it!
Just tried this. Looks good, will taste in a moment. We stirred after adding mozzarella.. as directed.. how do you get the top cheesy if you stir it?
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think. I added more cheese!
Gotta tell you I had low expectations here. Lol. I didn’t use any cheese. And used angel hair pasta so it only took about 40 min but it was perfectly al dente and flavor was awesome!!! One Pan. No boiling. This is a keeper!
So glad it still turned out good! Yay!! Thank you.
Do you have printer=ready recipes?
If you scroll to the recipe card, there’s a printer icon. When you tap on it, I have it formatted in a way to print on 1-2 pages maximum with no images, no large font or anything that takes up too much ink. Can you try that? It should work fine.
Thank you for this recipe! Just tried this and it tastes wonderful! Such an easy one dish meal. I added a little minced meat and baked for about 35mins in a 24cm baking dish (single portion). I also replaced spaghetti with rice, that turned out great too! Lots of possibilities, and you know we all need that!
You’re so welcome! That’s so great to hear! Yay!!
Hi! I’m planning on making this tonight, but I was wondering if you think it would be possible to swap out a cup or two of the water with heavy cream? My family tend to like their tomato sauces on the creamier side 🙂 Thank you so much. The recipe looks delicious!
Yes, it should still work that way! Hope you and your family enjoy!!
Omg, this baked pasta recipe is soo good!
Thank you so much!
Hi,
I’m starting to dabble with cooking, and I need advice on when to add peeled and deveined raw frozen shrimp. Should I cook them beforehand? Should I just buy the already cooked & packaged kind? When would you suggest that I add them during the baking process?
Thanks!
I would recommend adding it at the 35 minute mark on top of the baked spaghetti, as it takes roughly 9-13 minutes to cook.
Thanks for the tip! It’s in the oven now with the shrimp on top.
One other thing, how are you supposed to stir the spaghetti halfway through, but keep the cheese on top? Am I missing something? Mine mixed in with everything.
That’s so exciting! You could add more cheese on top after you’ve stirred it to get that cheesy top.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that next time.
It came out delicious even with the cheese mixed in!
Amazing recipe!
Thank you!
My family’s gluten free & vegan. We used quinoa & rice macaroni noodles, dairy-free mozzarella, replaced the bell peppers with sliced mushrooms, and added Beyond Burger meatballs. It was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you!
I love that you were able to substitute certain ingredients to make it work for you and your family! Thank you so much!!
I LOVE your recipes! I baked spaghetti for my kids and they were so happy! Finger-lickin good
Adriana from Paraguay 🇵🇾
Yay! So happy you all enjoyed it. Thank you, Adriana!
Do you drain the tomatoes
No, I like to use the liquid they come in.
Would it be ok to omit the cheese ? Would the pasta still cook ok?
Yes you can leave out the cheese. It will cook just fine 🙂
I have made this before and followed recipe exactly, delicious! This week I tweaked the recipe for my grandkids. I used olive oil, garlic and onions as in recipe. Added parsley, oregano and basil. For the liquid I added 4 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup evaporated milk. Then topped with mozzarella. Yum! The grandkids loved it!
Love how you tweaked the recipe! So glad the grandkids enjoyed it!
Could I use frozen veggies – frozen pepper and onion mix? Should I cook beforehand in skillet?
Yes you definitely can, and there’s no need to cook them beforehand.
Best spaghetti recipe I’ve ever tried. Quick and easy to prepare and very tasty.
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you 🙂
I try this recipe, but I did it with meat. I used shred beef meat 95% lean, pre-cooked at high temperature for 5 min. I added salt, pepper and a little bit of cumin. Once the beef looks brown I put it before the cheese and baked it. Other option can be if you mix the pasta sauce with meat. Great recipe, easy to do and not many ingredients. I love it!!!
Love that you added meat to it. Thanks so much for sharing!
I just wanna thank you for this pasta recipe, my family and I love it.
So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
I tried this pasta bake in the oven last night and it was a big hit! Very easy and really tasty! Mmm good!
So glad to hear it. Thanks so much!
Made it last night for dinner! My husband and I both enjoyed it. So simple and had everything I needed at home. Leftovers tasted even better today. The only change I would make next time I make it is to use one less cup of water and an extra cup of marinara. That’s just my personal preference. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback! I like your idea of adding more marinara…I think that would be yummy!
Wonderful recipe for the whole family! 1 year old and 3 year old absolutely loved the flavor. You can make it while holding 1 year old in one arm 😉 Have made exact recipe and second time made with mushrooms and broccoli turned out great as well! An amazing delicious new week night staple for us. Enjoy
Haha, that’s the best part that you can make it while even holding your 1-year old. Love that you added mushrooms and broccoli to the dish. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback!!
My mom was making it while I was working out. My brother and my dad both ate in front of me because I was working out next to the kitchen ?. My entire workout I was looking forward to the moment I got to serve myself my own plate. When I finally did, I was so so happy because it tasted SO amazing and it was so easy to make ?
That’s so funny and I hope it made you work out extra hard…best thing to have after a workout!!
Thank you ! this recipe is amazing I loved . I Love all your recipes
So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
Omg we made this for dinner and it was so so good !
Yay! So glad to hear it. Thank you!
Is there a way to add meat to this without overcooking it? I have a husband that insists on having meat with spaghetti. But it seems easy and I will be giving it a try regardless!
Yes, I would add the meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking time and stir it around in there.