Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Rich baked spaghetti with spinach boasts two types of cheese and earthy mushrooms. It’s such a satisfying meal and can be made ahead if you like. This casserole recipe is pure comfort food!
How long it takes: 25 minutes to prep, and 45 minutes in the oven
Equipment you’ll need: pasta pan, strainer, baking dish, skillet, mixing bowl, oven
Servings: 4
Baked Spaghetti With Spinach
I just love this pasta bake! Baked spaghetti was always (and still is!) one of my favorite meals. My mom wisely made extra spaghetti when she cooked up a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce and saved the excess pasta to make this cheesy delight with a Florentine twist. I have to confess that I liked this better.
And what’s not to like? Pasta (which gets just a little bit crispy around the edges), lots of cheesy goodness, spinach and mushrooms, baked into a bubbling and golden brown casserole. I think you’ll love it, too!
Baked spaghetti is comfort food, plain and simple. It can be a satisfying meatless main dish or a filling side dish. This recipe is not difficult to make, especially if you have leftover pasta.
Ingredient Notes
- Spaghetti: Choose your favorite brand. I like to use whole wheat spaghetti for this casserole. You’ll need 8 oz. (half of a pound box). It’s also a great way to use leftover spaghetti. If you want to use different pasta shapes, most will work in this recipe.
- Mushrooms: Regular white button mushrooms are fine. Buy already sliced mushrooms to save time.
- Onion and Garlic: Nothing fancy here, just plain cooking onions and garlic. They really enhance the flavor of the spinach and pasta.
- Spinach: Use a package of frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry.
- Egg, Sour Cream, Milk: This trio binds the elements of the casserole together.
- Monterey Jack Cheese and Parmesan Cheese: Other types of cheese are fine, too. I often substitute Swiss cheese because it goes well with the spinach and nutmeg.
- Nutmeg, Salt and Pepper: Easy seasonings from your spice cabinet. I usually use freshly grated nutmeg which is a bit more potent than ground nutmeg.
Using Fresh Spinach
To substitute fresh spinach for frozen, use one pound of washed fresh spinach for a 10 ounce package of frozen. Remove any large stems, chop roughly, and place in a large skillet. Heat over medium high heat, cooking and stirring for three to four minutes, or until the leaves are wilted. If your spinach was completely dry before adding it to the pan, add a tablespoon or two of water so the spinach doesn’t burn. Cool and drain well, pressing out extra liquid.
How to make Baked Spaghetti
Let’s get started! Put a pot of water on the stove to heat up. Once it comes to boil, cook the spaghetti as directed on the package. Of course, if you’re using leftover pasta, you can just skip this step.
Get the oven preheating and find a 1 ½ quart casserole or baking dish. Spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
Meanwhile, shred the cheese and prep the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Heat up a skillet and do a quick sauté of the mushrooms, onions, and garlic.
You’ll need a large bowl to stir everything together. Before you add anything else to the bowl, lightly whisk the egg.
Add the milk and sour cream and blend it all together. Add the seasoning and most of the cheese (reserve some to sprinkle on top). Mix everything up well.
Add the pasta, sautéed veggies, and spinach, and stir it up. Make sure you scoop from the bottom as you stir so you get all the cheesy goodness thoroughly mixed in.
Put the whole business into the casserole dish you prepared.
Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and cover the dish.
Bake for twenty-five minutes, uncover, and bake 20 minutes more.
Serve immediately or wait fifteen minutes or so. It’s so good either way. Because this is a pretty rich casserole, it’s best with a crisp arugula salad or citrus salad.
Wine Pairing
Try an Chardonnay aged in oak. The buttery flavor goes so well with the cheese, nutmeg, and spinach. Another good choice is a Pinot Noir. The crisp berry notes and acidity really complement this dish.Recipe Variations
- More veggies! Sauté a chopped bell pepper with the mushrooms and onions.
- Substitute whole wheat pasta especially if serving the baked spaghetti as a vegetarian main dish. Whole wheat pasta is more nutritious. Other types of pasta are good, too.
- Try different combinations of cheese. Cottage cheese and ricotta are both good substitutes for the sour cream.
- Add meat. Cooked chicken can be added for more protein, if desired.
- Don’t want to turn the oven on? Try this Instant Pot lemon pasta with chicken. It’s a one pot pasta dish that is a crowd pleaser.
How To Use Leftover Spaghetti
Besides making this yummy baked spaghetti, there are lots of ways to use plain leftover spaghetti. It can be refrigerated for three to five days, or frozen in resealable freezer bags for a month. To refresh, bring a pot of water to a boil and submerge cooked spaghetti for a minute or two. Drain and serve immediately with your favorite sauce.
You can make an easy summer pasta salad with chicken; chop it into shorter lengths and add it to stir fries instead of rice, or add to chicken noodle soup.
Using leftover pasta is a big time saver. Buy pre-sliced mushrooms or prep them ahead of time. Thaw spinach in the fridge overnight.
This casserole can be made completely ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen unbaked. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. Bake as directed, except increase first segment (covered) by ten minutes.
Internal temp (check with instant read thermometer in center of casserole) should be 165°F.
Leftover pasta bake can be refrigerated for three to five days. Cover well and refrigerate promptly. Freeze for up to 3 months, if desired.
To reheat, reheat in microwave in 30-second increments or until heated through.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #53. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.
More Pasta Recipes
Baked Spaghetti With Spinach
Ingredients
- 8 oz. uncooked spaghetti (see note)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease (or spray with nonstick cooking spray) a 1 ½ quart casserole or baking dish.
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes or until mushrooms are golden and onion is soft. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Remove from heat.1 tablespoon olive oil, 8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms, ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 clove garlic, minced
- Combine egg, 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, milk, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, pepper, and nutmeg in large bowl. Add spinach, mushroom mixture, and cooked spaghetti; mix well.1 large egg, beaten, 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup milk, 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out
- Place in prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake, covered, for 25 minutes; remove cover and bake for another 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. If desired, check internal temperature with instant read thermometer inserted in center of casserole; it should read 165°F.
Notes
- Using fresh spinach: If desired, substitute fresh spinach for frozen. One pound of spinach equals one 10-ounce box. Sauté fresh spinach until leaves have wilted.
- Pasta: Any type of pasta can be substituted, including whole wheat. You can also use leftover cooked pasta.
- Make ahead: Casserole can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight or frozen. Bake as directed, adding 10 minutes to covered portion of baking time.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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