It’s comfort food season! There’s a tiktok spaghetti bake that’s been all over my “for you page” that I’ve been dying to try because it looks so incredibly cozy and delicious.

I’m not sure who posted it first and made it viral, so if you know, let me know in the comments. Either way, it looks amazing: spaghetti tossed in a creamy alfredo sauce topped off with a savory meat sauce all baked up with cheese on top. It’s all the things I love about pasta bakes: a golden brown cheesy blanket, lots of saucy noodles, piping hot, filling, and oh so savory.

tiktok spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com

What is Tiktok spaghetti?

Tiktok spaghetti is an oven baked casserole with creamy alfredo spaghetti topped off with a savory tomato meat sauce. It’s kind of like a deconstructed rosé meat sauce. Essentially it’s a riff off of million dollar spaghetti but with slight twist.

What does Tiktok spaghetti taste like?

It’s creamy, cheesy, rich from the alfredo, and hearty and savory thanks to the the meat sauce. Like all pasta bakes, it’s a savory, comforting, easy dish. It’s really good, especially if you love spaghetti and hate choosing between tomato and cream sauce. Really, it’s the best of both worlds.

tiktok spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com

Tiktok spaghetti vs million dollar spaghetti

Tiktok spaghetti is a pasta bake with alfredo spaghetti topped off with a tomato meat sauce. It might sound like another dish you know, million dollar spaghetti, but it’s not quite the same. Million dollar spaghetti is a pasta bake with tomato meat sauce, spaghetti, and mozzarella cream cheese layers. It’s like lasagna made with spaghetti.

How to make Tiktok spaghetti

  1. Make the meat sauce. We’re going to start by making our meat sauce so it has time to simmer. Soften diced onion and garlic in oil along with a touch of sugar. Add ground beef and brown, breaking it up. Stir in onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let the flavors meld while you cook the spaghetti and make the alfredo sauce.
  2. Cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, then drain well.
  3. Make the Alfredo sauce. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and stir in minced garlic and heavy cream. Let the cream and butter reduce and thicken slightly, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in shredded parmesan cheese until smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Assemble. After the spaghetti is ready, toss it with the creamy alfredo sauce then transfer to an oven safe dish. Top it off with the meat sauce and finish the casserole by sprinkling evenly with shredded mozzarella and chopped parsley.
  5. Bake. Bake the Tiktok spaghetti in a 350°F oven until the cheese is melty and gooey. Enjoy hot!

alfredo sauce | www.iamafoodblog.com

Tiktok spaghetti ingredients

  • meat sauce: this meat sauce is loosely based on Italian bolognese sauce. Generally it’s any dark red tomato-based pasta sauce with aromatics like onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Ground meat is added, browned, and broken up into small pieces, and the whole thing is simmered for awhile to let the flavors meld.
  • spaghetti: regular dried spaghetti, your favorite brand. We’re partial to Garofalo for baked spaghetti. It’s from Italy, it’s bronze dye extruded, and is 100% durum wheat semolina flour. PS – they sell it at Costco too.
  • Alfredo sauce: classic Italian Alfredo sauce is butter, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and starchy pasta water. American Alfredo sauce tends to be slightly more creamy and thicker thanks to the addition of heavy cream and much more cheese. In this case, we’re going to make an American-style alfredo since we’ll be baking the pasta.
  • cheese to top: when you bake a pasta, you have to top it with cheese to keep the noodles from drying out. For this dish, I like to use mozzarella to top, and, if you use bagged shredded mozzarella, I won’t judge, it’s what I use too. It’s mainly there to create a cheese seal to help everything stay moist in the oven while it bakes.

tiktok spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com

Tiktok spaghetti components

There are two different sauces you need to make: tomato meat sauce and alfredo.

Meat sauce ingredients

  • onion and garlic: onion and garlic are classic in meat sauce because they add so much flavor. This recipe calls for 1 medium onion and 8 cloves of garlic for all the garlic girls out there.
  • sugar: we’re going to add a touch of sugar to our meat sauce to help amplify the sweetness of the tomatoes. Adding sugar balances out the acidity in tomatoes sauce. Typically, if you simmer tomato sauce for a very long time (or if you have summer sweet tomatoes) you won’t need to add sugar, but a touch of sugar really helps sweeten and balance the sauce without it needing to be on the stove for hours.
  • seasonings: we’re also going to add in some garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano for a bit of extra oomph. The garlic, onion, and oregano are optional, but if you have them in your pantry, they add to the overall savoriness of the meat sauce. One thing I don’t recommend skipping is the fresh flat leaf parsley. It adds brightness, freshness, and has the added bonus of looking pretty.
  • ground meat: lean ground beef is what we’re using. If you have ground “bork” at your grocery store (a mix of ground beef and pork) you can use that too. If you’re not using lean, make sure you drain off any excess fat so your sauce isn’t too greasy. You can also go for ground turkey, ground chicken or Italian sausage.
  • crushed tomatoes: a can of crushed tomatoes is the base of our tomato sauce. In this case, I like crushed instead of whole or diced because we’re not cooking the sauce for hours. The texture and consistency of crushed tomatoes works best. That being said, you can use whichever kind of canned tomatoes you like – I even have a substitution down below for using jarred tomato sauce.

tiktok spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com

Alfredo sauce ingredients

  • butter: butter is going to give our alfredo a creamy, buttery base. Go for unsalted so you can control how salty the sauce is.
  • heavy cream: heavy cream aka whipping cream is what is going to thicken our alfredo sauce and make it extra rich.
  • cheese: Alfredo sauce uses parmesan cheese and you should really use Parmigiano Reggaino, it tastes worlds different than the green shaker of cheese. If you go the real cheese route, it’s much cheaper and better to buy a block and grate it yourself using the fine side of a grater. It’ll melt more evenly into the alfredo sauce.

Extra easy Tiktok spaghetti

If you’re super busy and can’t make the meat sauce and the alfredo from scratch, you can definitely use some shortcuts by buying your favorite jarred pasta sauces. Simply brown lean ground beef and add it to your favorite jarred tomato sauce (we like Rao’s roasted garlic). You can also use jarred alfredo sauce (again, Rao’s is a solid choice), just heat it up and toss it with cooked spaghetti before topping it with the meat sauce and mozzarella. It’ll be faster than delivery and has all the feels of a home-cooked meal.

making tiktok spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com

What kind of casserole dish for Tiktok spaghetti

If you don’t have a casserole dish, don’t worry, you can bake this spaghetti in any oven safe dish you have: a baking pan, a cake pan, a pie pan, a cast iron skillet, a dutch oven, or those disposable aluminum pans from the grocery store.

What to serve with Tiktok spaghetti

Because carbs with carbs is the best comfort meal:

Happy comfort food season!
xoxo steph

tiktok spaghetti recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Tiktok Spaghetti

Serves 8
4.61 from 78 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 8 cloves garlic minced, divided
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes 1 large can
  • 2 tsp garlic powder optional
  • 2 tsp onion powder optional
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 16 oz spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup butter unsalted preferred
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated
  • 1 cup mozzarella grated
  • 2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

  • In a large, deep skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, half of the minced garlic, and sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the onions and garlic are soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the ground beef and brown, using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to break up the meat.
    making meat sauce | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Stir in the crushed tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer while you cook the spaghetti and make the alfredo sauce. Be sure to taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
    meat sauce | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • While the meat sauce is simmering, heat the oven to 350°F and bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, then drain well.
    spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • While the spaghetti is cooking, make the alfredo sauce. Melt the butter in a second large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the remaining garlic and heavy cream. Bring to a gentle simmer and slightly reduce, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese until the sauce is smooth and melty. Taste and season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and half of the freshly chopped parsley.
    alfredo sauce | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Toss the drained, cooked spaghetti with the alfredo sauce, then transfer to an oven safe baking dish. Top evenly with the meat sauce.
    making tiktok spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and the remaining chopped parsley. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melty and slightly brown, about 20-25 minutes. Scoop up the different layers and enjoy hot!
    tiktok spaghetti | www.iamafoodblog.com

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Tiktok Spaghetti
Amount Per Serving
Calories 631 Calories from Fat 305
% Daily Value*
Fat 33.9g52%
Saturated Fat 18.3g114%
Cholesterol 113mg38%
Sodium 362mg16%
Potassium 188mg5%
Carbohydrates 55.8g19%
Fiber 5.4g23%
Sugar 9.2g10%
Protein 26.8g54%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

21 Comments

  1. Madison says:

    Saw this on tiktok also!This is a sign that I must try it too soon!

  2. Alex says:

    This was so delicious! The recipe makes a ton so we have been eating leftovers for a few days now and loving it. Why in the world have I never thought to mix two different pasta sauces!

  3. Tina says:

    5 stars
    Made this last night. It is addicting. Only change I made was to use penne pasta. My family loved it. Makes a lot, so I shared leftovers with some friends- they loved it as well.

  4. Kia Carpenter says:

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was delicious. My husband and my daughter had seconds! Definitely going in the monthly rotation.

  5. Traci Hansen says:

    5 stars
    Can I make this the day before?

    1. Stephanie says:

      yes absolutely :)

  6. Jill says:

    5 stars
    Loved this pasta! I used shell pasta instead and it was a hit with my family! Lots left over so I took some to family. This will definitely be in our rotation from now on!!!

  7. Tisa says:

    5 stars
    I tweaked it a little, used combination of pork and beef, added cream cheese, used Rao Vodka Sauce It’s was delicious

  8. Kyndall says:

    How many does this feed ?

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi, it serves 8!

  9. Ellie says:

    5 stars
    So yummy! I didn’t have everything to make the meat sauce homemade but I used a plain tomato sauce and added some seasonings to it. Absolutely a hit! Definitely one of my favorite things!

    Thank you so much for the recipe!

  10. Coleen says:

    5 stars
    I made this tonight with a jar of Alfredo, half ground beef, half Italian sausage, Raos red sauce, and penne. OMG I was surprised at how good this is❗. Boyfriend had seconds and he’s pretty picky about pasta dishes. Not a lover of Italian like me, just wary of red sauce. A keeper for sure & perfect for a crowd. Freezing some leftovers. 😋

  11. Franny says:

    5 stars
    A keeper for sure. Easy to make. Such a fantastic taste.

  12. Lacey says:

    5 stars
    This is absolutely amazing! Total comfort food, and the noodles on the bottom were phenomenal! I used Hakubaku udon noodles (we use these as spaghetti all the time). I used a light pizza sauce and added a little extra seasoning on the meat and drained the excess fat off. I was out of heavy cream so I substituted whole milk and cream cheese. This was to die for! Thank you so much!

  13. Annie says:

    5 stars
    Do you think this would freeze okay? I was thinking of splitting it into two dishes and freezing one.

    1. Stephanie says:

      yes i think it’ll freeze well!

  14. Jennifer says:

    Hello! 16 oz spaghetti is dry pasta – is that correct? Thanks!

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi, that’s right!

  15. Jennifer says:

    5 stars
    I’ve made this a couple times and it’s been a huge hit! Is there any part we can make ahead of time? Wanna we’ve at a dinner party but will be crunched for time. Thanks!

    1. Stephanie says:

      honestly, you can preassemble the whole casserole then just reheat in a low oven until it’s heated through, then turn the oven up a bit to get the cheese golden and crusty!

  16. Jordann says:

    5 stars
    Made this for the first time a few weeks back with ground turkey instead of beef and it was phenomenal. Making it again for dinner tonight

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