Baked Spaghetti is everything you know and love about Bolognese in the form of an epic, juicy pasta bake with a bonus layer of molten cheese in the middle!
This is one of those rare foods that is a truly fabulous freezer meal and keeps for days in the fridge!
Baked Spaghetti
I call it a casserole, I call it a pie, I call it a pasta bake.
I actually don’t really know if there’s a proper name for this, but what I do know is this:
You are going to love it.
Because it’s everybody’s favourite Spaghetti Bolognese – PLUS CHEESE. Need I say more?? 🤷🏻♀️
So now, even if you’ve never made anything like this before, you know full well it’s going to be a home run right??
How to make it
On the face of it, you’re really just making a big batch of Bolognese Sauce then mixing it through pasta and baking it with a generous slug of cheese.
The Bolognese Sauce can be made in 30 minutes (minimum) or if you want to go all out, simmer it for a couple of hours and you’ll be rewarded with deeper flavours, a richer sauce and melt-in-your-mouth beef.
And to make the Spaghetti Pie ultra juicy, what I like to do is mix some of the sauce through the pasta and reserve some to spread on the layers.
Adding a layer of cheese slices in the middle also helps. You can use shredded if you prefer, but you get better cheese coverage using less cheese if you use slices. <– Pro cheese tip right there!
What you need
No surprises here – basically, you just need everything you use for Bolognese – plus cheese!
Carrot and celery is optional – ups the veg quota a bit but more importantly, adds to the flavour base of the sauce.
Sugar??
Only if needed. Many of the mainstream canned tomato brands here in Australia tend to be on the sour side rather than sweet and full of flavour as Italian ones are.
So if you’re dead set on Aussie-grown, add a touch of sugar to counteract the sourness. This can make all the difference especially if you’re doing a quick simmer rather than slow cooking!
BEST freezer meal!!
There are many recipes where I say “freezes fine”, but few where I say “freezes 100% perfectly!”
This is one of those freezer beauties. It is one of those dishes that comes out perfectly even after keeping it for months in the freezer.
And though it’s best cooked after thawing, it can even be cooked from frozen (though it does take over an hour, being a formidable block of ice that it is straight out of the freezer).
But the clincher is how smug you’ll feel, knowing you’ve got this in your freezer.
Open freezer door, plonk in oven.
Dinner.
Done.
– Nagi x
More Cosy Casseroles and Bakes
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Lasagna (and Vegetarian Lasagna is a must try!)
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Browse all Casseroles and Cosy Bakes
Watch how to make it
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Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , finely diced (optional)
- 1 stick celery , finely diced (optional)
- 750g / 1.5lb ground beef (mince)
- 3/4 cup (185ml) dry red wine (or sub with water or beef broth/stock)
- 3 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled (Note 1)
- 1.2kg / 2.4 lb crushed tomato , canned
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 - 3 tsp white sugar , if needed (Note 2)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme or oregano)
- Salt and pepper
Spaghetti Bake:
- 500g/ 1lb spaghetti
- 8 - 10 slices Swiss cheese (or other type), enough for a layer
- 2 cups (200g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
Sauce:
- Heat oil in a large, heavy based pot over medium high heat.
- Add garlic and onion, cook 2 minutes.
- Add celery and carrot, cook 3 minutes.
- Turn heat up to high, add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go.
- Once beef is brown, add wine. Simmer rapidly for 2 minutes.
- Add remaining Sauce ingredients, stir.
- Bring to simmer, lower heat, cover with lid. Simmer for 45 minutes (minimum) or 1.5 - 2 hours (best!).
- If liquid evaporates too much, add water - should be saucy (see video/pics). Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble & Bake:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cook pasta per packet directions, minus 1 minute.
- Drain, then return into pot.
- Add just over half the Sauce, toss.
- Spread half the pasta in a casserole pan, spread with half remaining Sauce.
- Top with cheese slices, then remaining pasta, remaining Sauce, finish with mozzarella.
- Cover loosely with foil (so cheese doesn't stick), bake 25 minutes.
- Remove foil (reserve), bake further 10 minutes than remove.
- Cover loosely with foil, stand 10 - 15 minutes. Then cut slices with a knife and use a spatula to serve pieces like lasagna!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
This is what happens at dinners: wiping away a disgraceful amount of drool ALL down his front – literally!🤤
I made this last night and it was super delicious. I didn’t have mozzarella or swiss cheese slices, or any garlic or celery, but even using just tasty cheese, it was awesome. I added half a zucchini, diced up really small, too. My housemate had two big pieces, and I’m just waiting to get hungry again so I can have some more. I’ll definitely make it again.
Wow! This truly is epic!
I’m not a keen fan of pasta but LOVED this – & so did my family.
Using quality Italian tomatoes & quality beef stock base lifts this to another level – oh & did I mention Swiss cheese? – my absolute favourite 😉
I don’t know how you do it Nagi but please keep it up 😃
Delicioius! My family loved it!
I’ve made this multiple times and added chilli flakes, rosemary and Italian herbs to the onion/garlic cooking in oil. It’s absolutely delicious. Slow cooking the sauce for 2 hours makes the mince absolutely beautiful and fall apart. A real winner.
I cook often and my family said this is one of their favorite dishes I’ve ever made! Coming from kids, this is a big compliment 😉 This is definitely a Sunday night type of meal because it takes time for the sauce to cook, then assemble and bake. If you’re looking for something faster, I’d recommend Nagi’s baked ziti recipe. Both are delicious!
This is a big crowd pleaser, great dish to take when everyone is cooking a dish to provide at a gathering.
I have probably reviewed this before as have been making this for years but I wanted to say another thank you to you Nagi because this remains my family’s favourite winter dish of all time and we have never tired of this. It is so adaptable to whatever fresh herbs and veges I have and today’s version has used finely chopped coriander, dill, and parsley stems and leaves, along with the carrots plus celery, baby capsicums, chillis, thyme, oregano and garlic for the sofrito. This dish has brought such joy and warmth along with nourishment to us for so long: it remains completely special each time!
This is a great recipe. Sauce next level of delicious! My husband and I can’t eat a whole pan. I froze the leftovers in portions for two. Heats up great. defrosted in the refrigerator and pop in the oven. Easy when you don’t feel like cooking and making a big mess.
Very yummy! And versatile. Enjoyed making and eating this.
Absolutely delish! I simmered the sauce for 2 hours and it made such a difference. I didn’t have mozzarella so just used what I had… grated tasty and Parmesan. Still worked a treat. Thumbs up from the family too.
I made this for my church group & it was a hit! The sauce was delish!! Will definitely make it again, Thanks!
10/10 recipe. A real crowd pleaser that is easy to make, if you have a little time to wait for it.
** the notes say it is a perfect freezer meal, but don’t say how long to cook in the oven from frozen. Exactly how long and what temp should you cook it for?
It’s there in Note 3 🙂
If baking from frozen, keep covered with foil and bake 50 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out hot, then 10 minutes uncovered.
We love this! I make the sauce in the morning and assemble it in the afternoon and bake it in time for my kids to come home from school. It is always a hit! It holds well in the oven on a low temperature so my hubby can enjoy it nice and hot when he gets home later.
In order to prevent the foil from sticking to the cheese you can spray the foil lightly with some cooking spray. Thanks for a super easy meal that only requires one dish to wash after it is served.
Best recipe ever! Made it a few times now and there are NO left overs! Just made it again tonight but had to sub a few things, used sun-dried tomato paste instead of 🍅 paste, and burattea instead of mozzarella as this was what I had. It will be ready in 10 and everyone is so excited! Let’s hope the subs don’t disappoint us from the wonderful original! If you are reading this – you MUST make this recipe, you will not be sorry!!
Let’s face it…spaghetti is a pretty simple mid-week meal any time. But this baked version took it “next level simple” when de-frosted and placed in the oven. The kids gave mixed reviews about the Swiss cheese but husband and I loved the addition. Thank you past Me for pre-cooking and Nagi for the recipe
Yum my Mum makes this but with a cheese béchamel sauce on top 🤗
My favourite pasta recipe. Want to make this for a friend to freeze and eat later .. would it be ok to put it a foil dish with cover ? Learner chef here… love your recipes Nagi xx
Do not hesitate to make this! Top fave with the kiddos! I blended and snuck in some spinach. my 1 anti-veg son had no idea 🤫
As always, your recipes are delicious and so informative. Made this today for the first time and it is delicious. Thank you, Nagi!
Just had this for dinner tonight and it was a major hit with everyone. Thank you Nagi for always coming up with such delicious recipes.