Baked pastas are among my family’s favorite dinners. Homemade lasagna has earned the title of “Most Requested Birthday Dinner,” but since it is a labor of love to prepare, I reserve it for special occasions. But just because I won’t layer noodles and sauce on a weeknight doesn’t mean that pasta casseroles aren’t on the menu. 

When requests for lasagna start rolling in, I turn to recipes like baked spaghetti for inspiration. It has all of the essential elements of a family-friendly dinner, from the quick-cooking sauce to the tangle of spaghetti and cheesy finish. In this version of baked spaghetti, I’m tossing the pasta with another beloved Italian-American sauce, alfredo sauce. Alfredo baked spaghetti comes together with just 15 minutes of prep and tastes extra-creamy, cheesy, and delicious.

Why You’ll Love It

• It’s easier than lasagna. This alfredo baked spaghetti is full of cheesy Italian-inspired flavor and tender pasta without the laborious layering and slow-cooked sauce. 
• The sauce is incredibly silky. True alfredo sauce relies on a delicate emulsion of butter, cheese, and starchy pasta water, but baked pastas require a more stable sauce. This roux-based Parmesan cream sauce does the job, plus it is rich, cheesy, and delicious.

Key Ingredients in Alfredo Baked Spaghetti

• Spaghetti: You’ll need 1 pound dried spaghetti noodles for this recipe. Cook them for 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente because the noodles will continue to cook in the oven.
• Parmesan cheese: Grate your own from a wedge or use store-bought finely grated Parmesan cheese from the deli. Avoid shelf-stable Parmesan cheese, as it may result in a gritty-textured sauce and won’t provide the flavor that fresh Parmesan cheese will.
• Low-moisture mozzarella cheese: Mozzarella adds a cheesy undertone to the sauce without overpowering the flavor of the Parmesan cheese. You can use preshredded or grate your own from a block of low-moisture mozzarella cheese.
• Dairy: A combination of milk and heavy cream gives this alfredo-inspired sauce a velvety and decadent consistency. 

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