Looking for an easy and simple family dinner that is sure to become a family favorite? This easy Baked Spaghetti with Ricotta is a winner. With ground beef, mozzarella, ricotta, marinara, and noodles, you can’t go wrong. One of the best easy comfort foods you will find!
Have you ever gone through periods of time where you feel like your children are changing at the speed of light?
That is where we are right now.
Skye is growing up so fast that it is killing me.
Don't get me wrong; I love where she is right now. She is delicious.
The fits are gone, and I can take her anywhere with zero stress of worrying about behavior issues.
And she is quite the conversationalist! My girl has the gift of gab, and I could spend all day just chatting with her.
And oh, the imagination! She loves to "write" books and read me the stories.
The boys are growing up fast as well.
With one teen and one that will be a teen in February, I am all too aware that I am going to blink and they are going to be grown.
All of this has had me making sure that I am spending as much time with them as I can.
I've looked at my schedule and tried to simplify everything that I can to free up time with the kids.
These days, I am going for simple family meals like today's Baked Spaghetti.
With a salad on the side, it is the perfect weeknight dinner.
I used to shy away from Italian dishes during the week.
Tools for Making Baked Spaghetti with Ricotta Cheese
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Baked Spaghetti with Ricotta
Baked Spaghetti with Ground Beef and Ricotta
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 pound ground beef preferably grass-fed
- 1 medium onion chopped fine (or 2 small)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 cups marinara sauce
- 16 ounces spaghetti I used gluten-free, but feel free to substitute for regular spaghetti
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 12 ounces Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add ground beef and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up.
- Once the ground beef has started to brown and is broken up into small pieces, add onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning to pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is brown and onions are tender about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in marinara and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
- Drain and return to the hot pan. Toss with the ricotta cheese.
- Place a spoon full of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9” casserole dish. Top with half of the noodles, half of the sauce and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the cheese.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until warm and bubbly.
Notes
VARIATIONS FOR SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE WITH RICOTTA
- For a lower carb alternative, substitute spaghetti squash for the spaghetti.
- For an extra kick of veggies, add ½ cup diced green bell pepper, ½ cup diced red pepper and ½ pound sliced button mushrooms when you add the onion.
- Mix up the cheeses and use sharp cheddar in place of the mozzarella. Alternatively, use a blend of the two.
Julie Plagens
I haven't seen this in my neck of the woods. I will look for this now. I love that it is gluten-free. And the tomatoes are imported from Italy. Wow.
Alejandra Graf
Any dish with pasta will become my favorite in a pinch. This recipe is amazing! I love it! Congrats.
Amber T.
I noticed this recipe didnt say anything about draining the beef once its cooked? Unless I missed that part!
So should I drain the beef? Or is that all needed for the recipe?
I want to say you drain it. I'm making this tonight. I am learning to cook and I really don't want to fudge this up! I want to impress my long time boyfriend....he is usually the better cook. But I wanted to try!
This sounds so delicious. So I'm gonna try! I'll drain to beef just incase!
Wendy Polisi
If you have a lot of added grease I would drain it. It really depends on the type of beef you use. For 80/20 you would want to drain. I usually use a super-lean ground beef for this, so there isn't much need. But that is a really great point and I need to add that to the recipe for beginning cooks.
Yuli Armstrong
Mmm delicious! I really love how put together this post is with nutrition facts and everything ♥️
Kimberley
I just made this with low carb spaghetti and it was absolutely amazing! Thanks for a great weekday option
Eric kay
This looks fantastic. I will for sure be making this for dinner.
David Elliott
This looks absolutely amazing. I wouldn't have thought to use ricotta with my spaghetti. And I've never done baking. But I will have to try this out.
Heather
This looks delicious! Our family loves Italian food and would really enjoy this; adding to next week's meal plan!
Bdrlin
That k you for sharing this recipe. I now how a new option to offer my boys. This is totally new flavor for them to try.
Rikki Ridgeway
I have some Ricotta left over from last week's lasagna that I didn't know what to do with, thanks for this. Sounds really interesting - I definitely need to give this a go.
Juliana Fendez
I was curious to know if you have found a particular brand of “meatless spaghetti sauce” that is your personal preference for your baked spaghetti? Your recipes look amazing.
Nancy
I like that you mix the ricotta with the pasta. My kids don't like getting big bites of ricotta but we all like the creaminess and richness is adds. This is the perfect solution.
Alicia
Very tasty! I forgot to add salt and pepper so it was little bland and I think I will add 2 jars of sauce next time. We really enjoyed it and leftovers are the best!
Bobbie
Loved this and so easy
Wendy Polisi
I am so glad that you enjoyed it!