Slow Cooker Baked Spaghetti {Million Dollar Spaghetti}


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This Slow Cooker Baked Spaghetti features a rich, slow-simmered beef sauce layered with tender pasta, a creamy cheese mixture, and a melty mozzarella topping. Often called Million Dollar Spaghetti, no matter the name, it’s pure comfort food and absolutely delicious!

baked spaghetti on a plate.

What is the difference between normal spaghetti and baked spaghetti?

  • Regular spaghetti has just noodles, meat, and sauce, and made on the stove top.
  • Baked Spaghetti is spaghetti and sauce topped with a creamy cream cheese and ricotta mixture and topped with cheese, and baked to meld all the flavors together. In this case we are using our slow cooker to “bake” this casserole. Baked spaghetti tastes like an ultra decadent lasagna (but of course with different noodles). – We also love to make Crockpot Lasagna and Ravioli Lasagna.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMx_h6miU3w&t=16s

Ingredients for Million Dollar Spaghetti

Here is what you need, find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below the images.

ingredients for baked spaghetti on a table with text labels
  • Pasta sauce – You can use Ragu, Newman’s Own, Rao’s or even make your own homemade crockpot marinara sauce. Just use two 24-oz. jars.
  • Ground beef – Cook ground beef on the stove top with salt, pepper, basil, garlic and onion.
  • Spaghetti noodles – One pound of cooked spaghetti noodles will be added to this after the sauce has simmered all day.
  • Cream cheese mixture – Cream cheese, ricotta and salt make up the creamy layer in this million dollar spaghetti.
  • (The full recipe is in the recipe card below the images)

How to make Crockpot Baked Spaghetti:

Step One – Add both jars of pasta sauce to the slow cooker.

Step Two – Cook the ground beef in a skillet on the stovetop, cook with the seasonings and onion, add the garlic the last few minutes of cooking. Drain the grease and add to the crockpot with the sauce.

Step Three – Stir the mixture and cook on LOW for 6 hours. WAIT TO ADD THE NOODLES AND CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE.

Step Four – Near the end of the cooking time cook the spaghetti noodles on the stovetop. I cook mine for 8 minutes exactly, slightly undercooking them for they will cook a little more when we assemble the casserole. Drain the noodles and add them to the cooked sauce.

Step Five – Stir the noodles into the sauce and slightly press the noodles into an even layer (like you would for a casserole).

Step Six – In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, ricotta, and salt. Add this mixture on top of the noodles and sauce in dollops.

Step Seven – Spread the dollops out evenly over the pasta.

Step Eight – Sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese. Place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook for an additional 20 minutes on LOW.

Step Nine – Turn the slow cooker off so the dish doesn’t overcook. Serve and enjoy!

Variations

This recipe is PERFECT as-is. But you can make changes to suit your tastes:

  • Spaghetti or linguine noodles are best for this recipe. You can use penne or rigatoni if desired. I do not recommend angel hair noodles or egg noodles for they are not the right texture for this dish.
  • Some do not like ricotta. You can use more cream cheese instead or use cottage cheese and you’ll still have a wonderful meal.
  • For a healthier baked spaghetti, use ground turkey and add extra seasonings for flavor. For a more Italian taste, swap in sweet or spicy crumbled Italian sausage.
  • For a vegetarian option, use bagged soy crumbles instead of beef.
  • Swirl in a few tablespoons of pesto for added basil flavor.
baked spaghetti on tongs coming from slow cooker.

My Serving Ideas

This meal is FILLING, so no need to go overboard with sides.

  • Garlic bread, focaccia, or breadsticks.
  • Roasted Broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
  • Fresh green salad and dressing.
  • Top with Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes.
white plate of spaghetti with garlic bread on side, with slow cooker in background
baked spaghetti in a bowl
baked spaghetti on tongs coming from slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Baked Spaghetti Recipe {Million Dollar Spaghetti}

4.95 from 35 votes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Crockpot Million Dollar Spaghetti is a rich and cheesy baked spaghetti dish with layers of hearty meat sauce, creamy cheeses, and tender pasta, all cooked to perfection in the slow cooker. 🍝🔥
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How to Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 48 oz. Pasta Sauce, Such as Ragu Old World Style, Newman's own Marinara, or Rao's Marinara.
  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1/2 cup diced white onion
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 lb. spaghetti noodles, see below for cooking instructions, these don’t get cooked or added until after the sauce cooks for 6 hours

Cheese topping after sauce cooks:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions 

  • Pour the jars of sauce in to the slow cooker. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, brown the meat and onions together. After the meat is browned add the garlic, cook for a minute a longer. Drain the fat. Add the salt, pepper, oregano and basil and stir. Pour the meat onto the sauce in the slow cooker and stir.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
  • After the cooking time is up, cook the noodles as directed on the package in boiling water on the stove-top. I cooked my noodles for exactly 8 minutes after adding them to the boiling water. The noodles will cook a bit more after adding them to the slow cooker.
  • Drain the noodles and add them to the meat sauce in the slow cooker. Stir, then flatten the noodles in an even layer.
  • In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, ricotta and salt. The cream cheese will be in small chunks, but that is fine.
  • Dollop the cream cheese/ricotta mixture over the spaghetti, then use a spatula to even it out over the spaghetti. Add the mozzarella cheese.
  • Cover and cook for an extra 20 minutes on LOW.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Sarah’s Notes

Can I bake this instead?
Yes! Though slow cooking the sauce really makes the dish, you can do this in the oven instead. Add your sauce to the cooked meat and pour over the spaghetti in a 9×13 pan. Add the creamy mixture and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375°F  for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes, this recipe freezes well. Place the leftovers in freezer-safe containers or freezer ziplock bags. Freeze for up to three months.
Can I put raw noodles into a crockpot?
The slow cooker doesn’t get hot enough to cook pasta properly, instead of cooking properly it turns into a chalky mess.

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 1318mg | Potassium: 1066mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1255IU | Vitamin C: 12.8mg | Calcium: 281mg | Iron: 5.3mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

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163 Comments

  1. Steve says:

    Delicious. I also love that I can adjust the serving size on your recipes before printing them before making the dish. Thank you.

  2. Noelle says:

    5 stars
    I made this and it was delish!! I also added some mushrooms (finely diced) and a couple of bay leaves and only the ricotta…the flavour was amazing and the beef was so tender!! A keeper for sure!!

  3. Barbara Warner says:

    I cook my ground beef in my crock pot first with my spices and onion. Then I add my sauce. My cooked noodles and cheese. Etc.

  4. Anonymous says:

    5 stars
    This is the best spaghetti I’ve ever had. It’s a hit at slumber parties for my daughter and her friends and it’s great for potlucks. It does take a lot of time but it’s worth it. I find it takes longer than 20 minutes after the cheese addition. We usually let it go for an hour or two to ensure it’s nice and gooey. But I do have a crockpot from like 15 years ago.

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Great tip, It could go a little longer without anything bad happening, just makes it hotter and bubbly.

  5. Anonymous says:

    5 stars
    Thank you it was a hit last night. My son doesn’t come often so when he does I like to make it special. He told me he was in the mood for spaghetti with meat balls. I asked if he would opt for spaghetti with ground beef instead and he agreed. I made it and him and my little ones are it all up… I loved it myself. My husband wasn’t a fan but he is not a cheese lover. So WHATEVER… lol
    Anyhow thank you for sharing and making our night special because my son absolutely loved it.

  6. Anonymous says:

    5 stars
    Just mixed the meat in the sauce
    The anticipation is killing me there is no doubt it will come out delicious

  7. Judi says:

    Has anyone tried it with ground turkey instead of beef? Thanks.

    1. Anonymous says:

      Yes it comes out delicious!

  8. deagra2015 says:

    While I liked this recipe, the prep work is the same as regular spaghetti and would have been easier to just do the prep and bake it in the oven. Pre cooking everything kind of ruined the whole crock pot idea. It was a very good meal but just think easier doing it in the oven.

    1. Joleen A Jorge says:

      Flavors are enhanced with the slow cooking! More economical to use the slow cooker than to use your big oven!

    2. Sally says:

      I browned twice the meat and froze it in a zip lock bag with the sauce and seasoning (plus mushroom and olive) now I can just thaw it out and heat it in the crock pot on a busy weeknight :).

  9. mc7783M. Coffey says:

    Can you make another mixture with just mozerella cheese and cream cheese somehow? I’m stuck st home for the weekend and don’t have ricotta at the moment. I can’t wait to try this thank u

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Yes, I think that will work fine!

  10. Ashley Allred says:

    Hi! I’m SO excited to try this! I only have 1 pound of hamburger meat. I was thinking maybe trying to just use 1 and a half jars of sauce but still cooking for the full time? Do you think that would be okay?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      I think it should be fine!

      1. Joleen Ann Jorge says:

        I made this recipe for an Italian themed luncheon at the school where I work Teachers are generally very good cooks and these meals are always wonderful. Everyone asked for the recipe! That’s a big 5 stars!!!! Thanks for all your recipes. I haven’t tried anything that wasn’t delicious

      2. Sarah Olson says:

        Happy to hear that Joleen, this recipe is one of my favorites. Makes so much and the leftovers heat up great.

      3. Vicki says:

        How do you suggest reheating?

      4. Sarah Olson says:

        We heat in the microwave. Sorry I don’t have a fancier answer!

      5. Vicki Kolstad says:

        Thanks! I am not fancy either! I am going to try putting it on the warm setting on the Crock-Pot but, if not hot enough, will also use microwave!