This leftover spaghetti casserole recipe is an easy dinner meal made with leftover spaghetti noodles tossed in pasta sauce, then topped with cheese and baked until golden brown.
What to do With Leftover Spaghetti?
When I make spaghetti, there’s usually always leftover noodles. I’m not big on spaghetti for leftovers for lunch, so instead I prefer making a casserole with my leftover spaghetti for the following night! In fact this casserole is now such a hit in my house, I almost always make extra spaghetti with the thought that I’ll be making this casserole in the next couple nights!
Next time you have leftover spaghetti, don’t you dare toss it, make this Leftover Spaghetti Casserole!
Here’s a recipe video I made to show you how easy it is to make!
How long is leftover spaghetti good for?
When properly stored in a refrigerator, cooked spaghetti is good for up to 4 days. When you make spaghetti make sure to get your cooked leftover noodles in the refrigerator within 2 hours.
How To Make Spaghetti Casserole
If you have leftover pasta and sauce, you’re pretty much all set, but even if you don’t, it’s easy to cook up some noodles for this casserole.
Start by mixing leftover spaghetti noodles and pasta sauce with an egg, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese and ground beef or shredded chicken (note: meat is optional).
Place the spaghetti mixture into a baking dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese and mushrooms on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes. And for those folks who don’t like mushrooms, skip them! We’re mushroom lovers in our house, so we always add them in!
Bake until cheese is melted and golden brown.
I hope you enjoy this Leftover Spaghetti Casserole!
Recipe Tips
- If you have the time, grate your own mozzarella cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses often have anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting well.
- Use any favorite marinara sauce for this recipe. You can also make your own homemade tomato sauce, my favorite is Cherry Tomato Sauce. You could even use an alfredo sauce if preferred.
- If you’re a meat eater, add cooked ground beef, Italian sausage or shredded chicken to this dish.
Put Your Spin on This Casserole
We loved this recipe as-is, but there are so many small changes to the ingredients you can make to customize it to your preferences.
- Meat: Add cooked chicken or if you have leftover ground beef, mix that in with the noodles. Ground turkey, turkey sausage or Italian sausage would also work great.
- Noodles: Spaghetti noodles are just one of the many different types of pasta that will work in this dish. Feel free to use penne, bow tie or rigatoni noodles, depending on what you have on-hand or leftover.
- Vegetables: Add sautéed vegetables to the sauce and noodle mixture, such as spinach, zucchini or bell peppers. And if you don’t love mushrooms, leave them off the top.
- Cheese: Instead of mozzarella try another cheese that melts well like provolone or cheddar.
- Topping: You can add a crispy topping to the dish by mixing breadcrumbs with melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Just pour the mixture over the top of the pasta after adding the mozzarella and before baking it for the second time.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Spaghetti Casserole can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. Simply cover and refrigerate the baking dish until you’re ready to bake the meal. Note: Leftover spaghetti is only good for up to 4 days.
Other Leftover Recipes:
Leftover Rice Tacos
Mashed Potato Patties (uses leftover mashed potatoes)
50 Ways To Use Leftover Egg Yolks
50 Best Buttermilk Recipes
How To Freeze Cake
How to Freeze Leftover Half & Half Milk
Easy Way to Freeze Mashed Potatoes
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Leftover Spaghetti Casserole
PrintIngredients
- 8 ounces leftover spaghetti noodles
- 1 cup pasta sauce
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cooked ground beef or shredded chicken OPTIONAL
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl add spaghetti noodles, pasta sauce, egg, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Optional: Add in cooked ground beef or chicken if you are using it. Mix to fully combine all the ingredients.
- Pour the spaghetti mixture into a 9×9 baking dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese and mushrooms on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
MichaelK says
I kept it very simple, added just the tomato sauce, egg, and parmesan to the leftover pasta. I did cover it for about half the baking time. Uncovered then added the mozzarella and baked 15-20 minutes more. It went together easily and tasted great. Thanks for sharing!
Kish says
Loved the recipe.. What about adding cooked shrimp?
Pamela says
That would be delicious too!
Olivia hill says
Loved it but time and temperature were confusing 360? 10 or 30 mins?
Pamela says
Hi Olivia. The temperature is 350 degrees F, not sure where you’re getting the 360 at? You bake for 30 minutes, and then add cheese and bake for 10 minutes more, so 40 minutes total. Hope that helps.
Patti says
Forgot to rate it! My husband loved it!
Patti says
Great way to jazz up leftover spaghetti. Yummy!
Christina J says
Thank you for turning leftover spaghetti night into a much more enjoyable experience. My husband and kids always complain on leftover night, but this had them asking for seconds! We added breadcrumbs per your suggestion and loved it!
Suzanna says
When do you add the sauce?
Pamela says
Hey Suzanna, mix leftover spaghetti noodles and pasta sauce with egg, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese and shredded chicken (optional). Hope this helps – enjoy!
Marissa says
I use this recipe every time we have leftover spaghetti. It is delicious, simple, and affordable. On another note, the website should be ashamed. I had to try 6 times to see the recipe because the pop ups redirected even if you hit the close button.
Pamela says
Hey Marissa, if there’s a specific ad that you see that won’t close, can you please email me a screenshot so I can take care of it? I’m always looking for ways to better improve readers experience! Glad you enjoy this Casserole recipe!
Dawn Derson says
My Mother made way too much of her famous spaghetti,like two pounds too much! So I googled a quick recipe to see if I absolutely had to use egg,and I decided to after reading most of the recipes with a basic ingredient list called for it.
It was so yummy! I used mozzarella, Parmesan, sharp cheddar,and a little Gouda. I had to combine all my cheeses to have enough to cover the mixture. I put olive oil soaked plum tomatoes on top. Even though my toppings were almost weird, the taste of the filling was great! Lol I loved your presentation in the blue. Leftovers are my favorite!
Pamela says
That sounds so delicious Dawn! I love the addition of the olive oil soaked plum tomatoes, I’ll need to try that once our tomatoes are ready to be picked!
Karen @ Kama Fitness says
Look at that cheese….omg…..yum.