The Best Spaghetti Meat Sauce

This easy spaghetti casserole dish with ground beef is deliciously rich, hearty, and cheesy.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this homemade spaghetti casserole recipe:
Spaghetti: This easy dinner starts with a 12-ounce package of spaghetti.
Cream cheese and sour cream: Cream cheese and sour cream are essential for the creamy casserole.
Cheeses: You’ll need shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Oil: Cook the beef in two tablespoons of olive oil.
Sirloin: Ground beef takes the heartiness up a notch.
Onion: An onion lends bold flavor.
Seasonings: Season the spaghetti casserole with fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Sauce: Use jarred spaghetti or marinara sauce

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make spaghetti casserole:

Boil and drain the spaghetti.

Cook the beef until lightly browned, then add onion and seasonings. Continue cooking until the meat is cooked through, then drain the grease.

Stir the sauce into the beef mixture, then add the spaghetti and stir until coated in sauce.

Assemble the spaghetti casserole according to the detailed instructions.

Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil, sprinkle with Parmesan, and broil until the cheese is golden brown.

The key to perfectly cooked pasta in a casserole is to cook it slightly under al dente (a.k.a. molto al dente). The pasta will continue to cook and soften in the casserole.
This works well with spaghetti, but any pasta shape would work and be delicious — try penne or rigatoni to capture more sauce.
For a pop of green color, stir spinach into the beef mixture and garnish the casserole with fresh basil.